


Hero Time

by IcarusCannon (SavageSamurai)



Category: Ben 10 Series, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Midoriya Izuku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 03:19:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 84,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17459645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SavageSamurai/pseuds/IcarusCannon
Summary: Around 5 years ago, two Plumbers went missing. It is up to Ben Tennyson (savior of the whole entire universe)... and his partner Rook to find them. Though why he's with a Quirkless middle schooler is anyone's guess. Oh and there's the whole issue of him being a vigilante but whatever.





	1. Pilot

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Tick vs... MY HERO ACADEMIA!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15126086) by [bejammin2000](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bejammin2000/pseuds/bejammin2000). 



> OK, so this is my first fanfic and against my better judgement I decided a crossover between two series I really liked was the best idea to start with. Comments, reviews and criticism is much appreciated.

Izuku Midoriya was currently having the worst day in the history of bad days. Of course, his life was essentially bad day after bad day but this day was easily one of the worst days he’s had.

To start with, his childhood friend Kacchan attacked him with his Quirk but that’s just par for the course. Well, until Kacchan told him to kill himself. He must of been in a really bad mood but that was just the start of it. Even with the suicide baiting, the day wouldn’t even reach top 10. 

It reached top 10 when he nearly died because some villain attacked him under the shady underpass he always goes under on the way home. In hindsight, it’s kind of a miracle it took that long for him to be attacked...

However, it quickly left the top 10 worst days and entered the top 10 best days of his life when All Might saved him and it likely would’ve stayed that way if he hadn’t stupidly clung to All Might’s leg as he was taking off. Again, hindsight is 20/20. 

That’s when things turned weird. As it turns out, the extremely buff form that essentially embodies all the strength, kindness and heroism of All Might isn’t his true form. His true form is some lean looking guy that looks like he’s been homeless for years. Izuku would’ve been alright with that; he learned something no one else does of All Might and he still got to meet All Might so... Top 5 best days? And that’s when things went to shit.

“Can someone without a Quirk become a hero like you?” 

“Without power, can one become a hero? No, I should think not”. 

And that landed this emotional rollercoaster of a day on the Top 3 worst days of his life. Honestly Izuku didn’t know what he was expecting. All his life people had been telling him he couldn’t be a hero without a quirk but there was something different about hearing it from the Symbol of Peace himself. All Might was right; he needed to start being realistic about his goals. 

But of course, the universe wasn’t done making him miserable. He needed to suffer for daring to think he could ever be a hero without a quirk and so he found himself face to face with the same villain that tried to kill him.

Ok to be fair, this is partly his fault because he actually ran to the villain when he could’ve walked away but _Kacchan was dying_ and nobody was going to help him! What was he supposed to do? Walk away? Probably for when he actually ran forward and threw his bag at the Sludge Villain, the Sludge Villain merely surrounded Izuku’s body with those tentacles of his.

All Izuku succeeded in this little stunt was to be captured just like Kacchan was. He was going to end up as just another victim of villains, a statistic. 

Why didn’t he listen to everyone? Did he really think that he could help save someone when the Symbol of Peace himself said he wouldn’t be able to? Why was he such a dumb idiot? If five Pro Heroes couldn’t take this guy down, what hope did a Quirkless middle schooler have?  
‘Maybe I’ll get a Quirk in the next life’ Izuku thought.

However, just as Izuku was giving up he heard a loud noise.

“It’s hero time!” someone exclaimed in a gravelly voice. 

When Izuku looked up, he saw some rock man that was on fire with an hourglass symbol on his chest. He didn’t look like any Pro Heroes he knew and that was surprising because he was the biggest Hero fanboy in the world. A hero from another country perhaps?

Suddenly the molten man held up his hands and the fires caused by Kacchan immediately flew towards him. Once they reached him, the rocks he was made of glew a whitish colour and the fire surrounding his head grew bigger.

It was subtle but Izuku could feel the Sludge Villain tense up as if he realised this new challenger could end him at any moment. He had stopped trying to possess Kacchan after all and was now focused on the magma man in front of him.

“Don’t come any closer! Or I’ll kill these kids” The Sludge Villain said as it grew a couple more tentacles before shapeshifting them into blades to cut Izuku and Bakugou. While, no one could see it, one had the idea that the Sludge Villain was giving his opponent a smug smirk as he casually threatened the lives of two kids. 

The air was tense. While there were no fires anymore, the villain holding blades mere inches from the throats of children left the Pros unable to do anything even if their Quirks were suited for the job. 

The magma man, on the other hand, merely gave an unimpressed look at his opponent. 

“Really, dude? A hostage situation?” he said flatly as he narrowed his eyes. 

The Pros turned to yell at him for treating this situation without the care it required and Death Arms tried to bargain with the Sludge Villain.

The magma man on the other hand merely raised his hand and threw a flaming shuriken at the Sludge Villain’s blades at which point several things happened at once. The shuriken cut through the monster like a hot knife through melted butter. The Sludge Villain screamed in agony and released it’s two hostages. 

Before the villain could do make another move, the magma man flew towards him and punched the villain. Like with Death Arms, his punch was swallowed by the mass of goo. Unlike Death Arms, this hero had a bit more firepower at his disposal and proceeded to increase the heat of his punch. The villain let out another scream but this one sounded more fearful in nature rather than as a response to pain.

Pretty soon, the green slime started to glow orange and the villains howls of pain increased. It continued like that until the villain _exploded_ and the entire alleyway was filled with green sludge. 

The symbol on the magma man started making a weird noise before the man was encased in a red glow. In the place of the flaming man was now a brunette teenage boy dressed in green. A smug smirk adorned his face.

“All in a day’s work. While I do love a good cheer; please, keep your comments on how awesome I am to a minimum”, the boy said. 

While the boy may have been expecting some flattery on the efficiency of his takedown of the villain, what he got was much more different. 

“Where’s your Hero License?” Death Arms said in a low voice.

“My Hero - what now?” the boy said in confusion. 

“Your Hero License. It allows a person to use their Quirk and fight villains without the instruction of a Pro Hero” Death Arms said before continuing. “Without one, you’ve just broken the law on two accounts by committing not only an act of unregulated Quirk usage but also an act of vigilantism”. 

Now if the boy played his cards right, the worst he’d get was a warning. 

“Ok, I’m going to pretend I know what you mean by ‘Quirk’ and ignore that for now but from what I understand, you lot weren’t doing your jobs right”.

The boy turned to Death Arms in particular with the smug grin. 

“Now listen here-” Death Arms started but was interrupted.

“I mean a kid was drowning in sewage and you couldn’t do anything. Not only that but you let another kid run towards the hostage situation. While you were just standing by, doing nothing important, I put out the fires, saved the lives of two kids and defeated the villain”. 

With each insult to the Pro Hero or self-praise, Death Arms’ glare noticeably intensified. The same could be said for several of the other Pro Heros though one or two looked embarrassed at the fact that they could do little more than prevent the inevitable death of a child. 

“Besides even if what I did was illegal it’s not like your going to arrest me for saving lives, are you?” the boy said.

While this was happening Izuku decided it was best to just go home. As much as he wanted to get notes on the interesting boy with the transformation Quirk, he needed to do some re-evaluating now that his dream was completely and thoroughly crushed. Little did he know that a tall, gaunt, blond man was following him.

* * *

As if his day couldn’t get worse from being told to kill himself, having his dreams shattered by the man he looks up to the most, nearly dying twice etc. he was confronted by Kacchan on the way home. 

“Deku! Don’t you dare think what you did fucking mattered! I could have beaten that villain by myself and there was no way in hell that your shitty ass helped save me!” Bakugou growled before turning on his way.

“He’s right” Izuku said sadly. 

“I couldn’t do anything in that fight and only succeeded in adding another hostage the Pros had to worry about”.

As Izuku was about to go home, he was interrupted by All Might charging in front of him and yelling “I AM HERE!” before spewing blood.

“All Might! What are you doing here?!” 

“Kid. Truth be told, your actions have made me rethink our earlier conversation and I have a proposal of sorts to offer you”. All Might said.

“B-B-But I didn’t do anything!” Midoriya exclaimed. “I only succeeded in making the situation worse by giving the villain another hostage” Midoriya said as he looked down at the ground.

“While, that’s true from a certain point of view, you cannot overlook your intent”

“My intent?”

“While that villain was holding your classmate hostage and the Pros were unable to do anything but wait for someone with the right Quirk, you charged forward. It didn’t matter the danger you faced, all that mattered was that someone was in danger and you wanted to help them. You moved without even having to think about it, didn’t you?”

“Y-yeah but what does that have to do with anything?” Midoriya stammered.

“Many great heroes claim that their bodies moved without thinking and judging by your actions, you have the personality of a true hero. If that boy hadn’t shown up, your actions would’ve spurred me into action. I just feel that that would be the case”.

As All Might praised him, Midoriya starts to get increasingly flustered. However, it was All Might’s next words that finally broke the dam of his tear ducts.

“Young man, I believe can become a hero”.

* * *

As it turns out, yes they were going to arrest him for saving the lives of two kids. Ben didn’t quite understand, well anything in this scenario. What the hell was a Quirk and why did you need a license to save people?! 

This was meant to be a vacation. OK, not really. Him and his partner, Rook, were meant to be checking up on a couple of Plumbers who hadn’t contacted them back in a while. But come on! Just because they were on a mission didn’t mean they couldn’t see the sights, meet the people, maybe expand the scope of his followers. Small stuff like that. 

He did not think taking down someone holding two hostages, starting fires and defeating a guy who was giving five “Pro Heroes” trouble would get him arrested! What even was a “Pro Hero” anyway? 

“You’re free to go, kid” an officer with a cat face said. 

“Finally realised that arresting me was bit of an overreaction?” Ben snarked.

“No. You got bail”. 

The only response Ben could give was a small grunt before being led to the entrance of the station. When he got there, he saw his partner, Rook, giving him a disappointed look. They walked in silence but it was broken by the time they got to Rook’s truck.

“We have not even been in this country for six hours and you have already gotten arrested” Rook flatly said. 

“Oh sorry. I didn’t realise that saving lives was a criminal offense” 

“Given your track record, I’m sure it was actually the property damage you caused while doing so that got you arrested”. 

“No. I kept property damage to a minimum, I swear. The reason they arrested me was because apparently I need a license to save lives” and that comment caused Rook’s eyes to widen before using the in-built computer interface on the dashboard. 

“Apparently to prevent Quirks from creating a societal collapse, the Quirk Regulation Act was put into action”. Rook read off the screen. 

“Right. What exactly is a Quirk?” Ben asked.

“A quirk is a special ability that an individual possesses. While you transform into aliens for combat, these individuals simply have Quirks. For example, the Number 2 Hero, Endeavor, possesses pyrokinesis much like how you use Heatblast. They come in three types; Emitter, Transformation and Mutation. Emitters allow the user to release certain matter or energy, transformations allow the user to change their body in some way while mutations permanently affect the user” Rook explained.

“I see. So like, how Kevin can absorb matter and energy despite being human”. 

“Yes. While, there is a bit of controversy regarding the Osmosian species as former Proctor Servantis had no means of fabricating that much evidence or extending his reach beyond the Plumber’s influence, one possible explanation is that Kevin’s powers do originate from a Quirk”.

“Ok but that doesn’t explain why I got arrested for saving lives and defeating a villain” Ben said annoyed. 

“It would seem that to compensate for the increase in criminal activity, the government implemented the rise of Heroes. People could use their Quirks to help others and fight criminals. However, to maintain the stability of society, anyone using a Quirk or participating in heroism without the proper approval would be deemed a vigilante. You simply transforming and fighting was in clear breach of these of these guidelines” Rook responded.

“I guess. I mean I still find the idea of arresting people for helping a stupid idea but I guess I understand. Hey where are we going anyway?” Ben said.

Rook merely sighed before responding “Have you forgotten why we’re here in the first place? We need to make contact with Plumbers Smith and Midoriya. Said Plumbers have been off the grid for the last five years. It is only thanks Patelliday noticing an abnormality in the ranks that we are even on this mission”. 

“Right” Ben said. “What do we know about them?” 

“Midoriya would often take assignments in Japan and has a record of going off the grid for undetermined lengths of time. For his part Smith is mostly clean aside from being dragged along for Midoriya’s adventures” Rook explained. The two Plumbers were silent for a moment before Ben broke it.

“Hey Rook, you think I’ll be able to get one of those Hero Licenses?”

Rook smiled. “Who knows? From what I understand, it requires a great deal of skill and intelligence to achieve. It might just be too much for you”.

“I’ll have you know I passed the Plumber’s exam with 95 out of 100” Ben said in a somewhat offended tone before smirking “And what exactly did you get?”

Rook frowned before responding “87 but in my defense I had to take my test in a trailer after the Vreedles blew up the Plumber Academy”. 

“So what you’re saying is that I beat you?” Ben asked with a smug tone.

As the two continued their conversation while travelling to their destination, they failed to realise that they were being followed by a drone. 

“Hm. Plumbers. I had hoped they would have forgotten about me by now but I guess we can’t all get what we want now, can we?” remarked a figure in shadows.


	2. Heroes Cross

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I'm not very pleased with this chapter. A lot of the timing is weird and the Paradox exposition felt forced but I really just wanted to get to Ben and Midoriya interacting without beating around the bush. I don't feel it's entirely terrible. I felt Ben and Midoriya's individual scenes were good (or at least passable) and I'm pleased with the fight scene but the ending kinda just feels forced. 
> 
> Because I don't think it's clear enough I'll say it here. Ben and Rook's scene happens just after the last chapter, which means the Sludge Villain attacked earlier that day. Midoriya and All Might's "training" took place two days afterwards meaning that there is a two day gap between the first scene and the second. It takes place in the evening, rather than the morning because I am a dumbass who didn't bother checking the scene again.
> 
> As I said before comments, reviews and criticism is much appreciated.

“Now this is just a hunch but I think this might, just _might_ , be a trap” said Ben while outside the shady warehouse that was the last known location of the two Plumbers they’re searching for and causing Rook to turn to him.

“And just what makes you say that?” questioned Rook.

“Come on, dude! Abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town? They had no reason to be here for whatever they were doing”. Ben ranted before giving his partner a confused look. “What exactly were they doing here anyway?”

“Well I was about to ask Magister Tennyson but you immediately took off as soon as he said ‘you’re going to Japan’” Rook replied, clearly frustrated at the incident. 

Ben gave Rook a blank stare before walking towards the warehouse. 

The warehouse door opened with a large creak and just like exterior, the interior was devoid of anything that hinted at recent activity. In fact it seemed to be completely empty.

Ben turned to Rook and said “Well, if we’re in the right place, this is definitely a trap”. 

“I fail to see how the location being empty makes the possibility of a trap anymore certain”.

“C’mon, this is where their badges were tracked to, right?” Ben replied and Rook nodded his head in response.

“So two Plumbers have gone missing, their badges just happened to be in a warehouse on the outskirts of town where they did not have to be. Face it. If they haven’t betrayed us, then they’ve been taken out by someone who knows what the Plumbers are and in both scenarios their badges are somewhere they had no business being, likely meant to lure more Plumbers to their doom”. Ben explained.

Rook looked as if he was being torn between conceding Ben’s point or continuing with the mission. He decided to do both.

“Be that as it may, it is still our duty as Plumbers to retrieve their badges if for no other reason than to prevent alien technology from getting into the hands of those who are clearly not ready for it” Rook sternly stated.

“Whatever, man”.

And so Ben and Rook searched the warehouse for the missing Plumber badges and searched and searched. 

It wasn’t until half an hour later that they decided to take a break.

“OK I know I said this was a trap but are you sure we’re in the right place, Rook?”.

Rook looked at the interface on his Proto-Tool for what must’ve been the tenth time. “Their badges are recorded to be in this very warehouse”.

“Well, then I guess there’s only one thing left to do” Ben said with a smirk as he hit the Omnitrix. 

As he was engulfed in the green light the Omnitrix gave off, his bone structure morphed to become more canine-like and his skin changed into orange fur; the form of Wildmutt. 

Wildmutt sniffed around until his scent caught something. Moving towards the wall at the back, Wildmutt eventually stopped at the center before digging into the bottom of the wall. While it was apparent that Wildmutt had found a secret passageway, all doubt immediately vanished when his digging caused him to fall into it. 

“Ben!” Rook exclaimed before following him into the passageway. 

Rook found himself in a large spacious room filled with old and new technology. In the center there was a large computer screen. Ben had already transformed back into himself and messing with a gadget. In Ben’s hands were two Plumber badges. 

“Found them” Ben said without looking up from what he was doing.

Suddenly the device started making a crackling noise before a distraught voice was heard. “OK first, if some dumb kid accidentally stumbles onto this recording **go to the police**. Do not sniff around or such, just inform the police of the whereabouts of this hideout. My name is Adrian Smith. I’m a Plumber who was sent to Japan to investigate the Quirk Integration Project with my partner Hisashi Midoriya. However- wh-what are you doing here?! Hi-hs-hi” 

The recording of Smith was interrupted by another voice but the static prevented the words from being made out. Ben was about to open his mouth when the computer started beeping dangerously. 

Quickly using the Omnitrix to turn into Cannonbolt, Ben grabbed Rook and turned into his ball form just in time for the explosion to go off. When he thought it was safe, he released Rook and turned back into Ben before saying “OK, now might not be the best time but I just want you to know I totally called it being a trap”.

Rook just nodded in response before turning to look at the warehouse, now reduced to nothing more than ruins. Despite the outcome, he had achieved his objective. So what was the next course of action?

* * *

When All Might had told Midoriya that he could be a hero, he did not expect to be cleaning up the garbage beach. Granted he did not expect All Might to offer up his Quirk either. It’s still quite amazing to know that there’s a Quirk that can bestow power to others. If he had known about such a Quirk before, maybe Kacchan wouldn’t have bullied him for 10 years and maybe he might still have friendsinsteadofbeingasocialoutcastand-

“You really need to get a handle on that muttering habit of yours, kid” All Might interrupted his thoughts. Wait, had he been muttering out loud again?! 

“I get that you have a lot of questions but it won’t do if you accidentally blurt out my secrets”

“Right!” Midoriya replied before continuing his ‘training’. And by training he meant trying to move a refrigerator with All Might sitting on top of it. The only progress he made was tripping and falling on the ground in tears.

“Why am I dragging this garbage across the beach anyway?”

“Being a hero isn’t just about saving lives and defeating villains, it’s about volunteer work regardless of how unglamorous it is. But besides that currently you are an ill-suited vessel for my power” All Might said from atop the fridge.

“But I thought you said I was worthy!” Midoriya cried.

“You are but your body isn’t ready for my Quirk. One For All binds the strength of multiple people together and your limp-noodle body just isn’t ready to handle it yet. If you were to take my Quirk now, your limbs would pop right off!!” All Might exclaimed.

“My limbs!” Midoriya screamed. He was seriously having second thoughts about taking All Might’s Quirk now.

“However, that’s what my self-designed “pass the american dream” plan is for!” All Might exclaimed. “With this, you should be able to get into U.A by the time the Entrance Exam rolls around”. 

“U.A!” Midoriya exclaimed. “I’ve always dreamed of going to U.A considering it is where you went All Might”. 

“You fanboy! Well in any case, this training will help you pass the Entrance Exam. However, I should warn you that your journey is going to be super tough. Can you handle it?” 

Midoriya looked up from the regimen he was given and gave All Might a large grin “Yes”. 

And that would’ve likely started a big montage that showcased Midoriya’s months of training if it weren’t for one little detail. As Midoriya was finishing up his ‘training’ for the day, a large red man with four arms was thrown into the truck where he was loading up garbage. 

“Sorry!” he yelled in a gravelly voice before turning to his assailants; three people in magenta suits of armor. One was large and bulky, another while not as big was still quite muscular while the third was thin and lean.

“Come on guys. It’s the same old crap with you. You hunt me down either by yourselves or as a team. We fight. I end up beating you and you escape. Rinse and repeat. Can’t we take a break from the whole trying to kill me thing?!” the man exclaimed in a tone that seemed almost like... whining?

The response he got was predictably all three of them shooting lasers at the man. Midoriya was paralyzed with fear but the man grabbed a hold of him and yelled “get down!” before putting him behind the vehicle. 

Meanwhile the villains continued their barrage and after making sure Izuku was safe, the man turned around with a steeled gaze, prepared for battle. The lasers he didn’t dodge seemed to have no effect on him. Once the armored villains realized that their ranged weapons were not going to have any effect they charged at him.

Two of the villains opted to take flight with the thin one wielding an energy sword while the average one of the bunch wielding a buzzsaw forcing the red man on the defensive. This created an opening where the biggest of the bunch ran towards him and went to punch him with energized knuckles. 

However, the multi-limbed man merely caught the punch and threw the villain into his comrade who landed a little too close to Izuku. The thinnest villain took this as her opportunity to drop down and impale the man through the back with an energy sword causing him to yell in pain before ripping out the sword. 

It was at this moment that a man with black markings adorning his head appeared in blue armor. 

“Ben!” he exclaimed before charging up his weapon and firing a shot at the thin villain. However, the shot was blocked by the bulky villain which let out a loud growl before releasing two wired tentacles which shot out missiles at this mysterious third party. 

Given all the crazy stuff Izuku’s been privy to over the last few days, he shouldn’t have been surprised when the missiles were effortlessly dodged or when the thin villain was thrown into the bulky one’s back.

“You sure you don’t want to surrender or go home? I mean I’ve beaten all three of you by myself before and now my partner’s here to help me” The hero named Ben said with a smirk. 

The two villains looked to each other and growled, hopefully meaning they were surrendering. They were not surrendering. In fact the large villain charged at the blue armored hero, turning his hands into laser gatling guns while the thin villain charged at the multi-limbed hero wielding dual energy swords. 

As Izuku was watching the fight, he failed to notice the third villain twitch. 

“Rook! You doing ok there?” the multi-limbed hero asked while dodging sword strikes.

The hero known as Rook turned his gun into a sword to fight the villain before responding “While I am physically unharmed, I fear SevenSeven is causing too much property damage for the locals”.

It was true. Every laser blast Rook dodged only ended up damaging the surrounding buildings and vehicles behind him. SevenSeven growled.

“What do you mean by ‘not my fault’?!” to which SevenSeven growled causing Rook to sigh in exasperation. 

Meanwhile Ben wasn’t having much progress either. Seeing that the swords weren’t helping her fight, the villain abandoned them in favour of hand-to-hand combat. While it was likely the hero had more raw power, he was having trouble actually landing a hit on her. By contrast the villain had opted to land successive but much weaker hits on the hero when she wasn’t dancing around his own. 

However, the tide was quickly turned when Ben slammed his hands into the ground knocking everyone off their balance, creating an opening for him to grab the villain and knock her out. Ben then threw the body at SevenSeven who evaded but created an opening for Rook to stab his sword into the armor electrocuting him.

“Well, I did tell you so” Ben said before transforming back into... the teenager that saved him from the Sludge Villain? Hold on. Didn’t his Quirk allow him to turn into a rock monster with pyrokinesis. Does he have two Quirks? But before he could ponder that thought anymore, Izuku was suddenly hoisted up into the air by the third villain. A laser weapon was right in Izuku’s face.

“Huh. A hostage in two different incidents in only two days. You have the worst luck, don’t you” Ben said with a smirk though it was clear he was starting to panic.

“Look. Sixsix, you’ve already been defeated. We’ve defeated your two stronger siblings so there’s no way you’re getting out of this. Just put the kid down, I won’t have to kick your butt again and we won’t have to resort to any unnecessary and possibly bloody violence” Ben said holding his hand up to his... watch?

However, this caused Sixsix to growl louder and hold the gun much too close to Izuku’s head.

“He says-” Rook started before he was interrupted. 

“I know what he said!” Ben yelled. “I mean not actually but I got the gist of it. Don’t use the Omnitrix or I’ll shoot the kid, right?”

Rook merely nodded.

“Just use your Quirk!” Izuku yelled. “Turn into that flame monster or that guy from before and it’ll all be alright” Izuku was clearly crying now. 

Ben merely gave a conflicted expression before whispering “Rook can you make the shot?”

Before Rook could even attempt it, Sixsix sent out a grenade that was similar to EMP which shorted out the Proto-Tool. In doing so he gave Ben an opening to try and take Izuku. However, Sixsix simply shot him causing Ben to fall to the ground. Izuku struggled but ultimately failed to release himself. 

Sixsix started walking towards his comrades with Izuku in hand, using his tentacles to start messing with their equipment, likely to activate their jetpacks before-

“I AM HERE!” All Might exclaimed. Sixsix growled again but in the blink of an eye, Izuku was safe and Sixsix was on the receiving end of one of All Might’s trademark ‘SMASH!’ attacks.

“Young Midoriya, are you alright?!” All Might asked, missing the shocked expression on Rook’s face.

“Yes but All Might... This guy just died trying to save me and he’s the same person who saved me two days ago and he has two transformation Quirks and I justdon’tknowwhat...” 

“Breathe, young Midoriya. You said this boy died saving you? I’ll make sure he gets a proper funeral” All Might said solemnly.

It was at that moment that Rook took his opportunity to speak up “Um. While we appreciate the gesture but you really do not have to do that. Can someone help me load these bounty hunters into my truck”. 

Those words caused something to snap in Midoriya and he tried to punch Rook but Rook merely stepped out of the way. 

“HOW DARE YOU?! You’re partner just died and you don’t seem to care”

“With all due respect, Ben is not dead”.

“Huh?” Midoriya said with a confused expression before hearing a pained groan coming from the ground.

“Ow. OK I could’ve played that a bit smarter” Ben said before looking up causing Midoriya to turn around.

“You’re alive”/“You’re ok!” the two boys exclaimed happily. 

“Wait, alive?” Ben questioned. “That laser blast wasn’t that powerful” he said before clutching his chest in pain. “Right the sword, that’s gonna leave a mark”. 

Just how many Quirks did this guy have?!

“Yeah, I actually don’t have a Quirk” Ben said.

“Oh crap, I said that out lou- wait WHAT?!” Midoriya yelled. 

“But young man, your transformation into that magma man”   
“and that four armed guy or how you survived that laser blast” 

“And you seem to be regenerating from a sword wound fairly quickly”

““All that clearly points to a Quirk!!”” both Midoriya and All Might said at the same time. 

“Well, first off my transformations are thanks to this” Ben said pointing to his watch. “The Omnitrix allows me to turn into about 70 different aliens. Trust me it’s just a piece of equipment. And secondly I fail to see how either of those make a Quirk. It’s pretty standard stuff”. 

It was at that point All Might transformed back into his true form, spewing blood. 

Ben’s eyes widened before saying “Y’know I feel like I should be shocked but I think that’d be pretty hypocritical of me”.

“Uh, don’t tell anyone. Not everyone is as outgoing with their secrets as you”.

“I mean, all my enemies know about it so keeping it a secret feels kinda pointless” Ben deadpanned before moving to help Rook load the villains in the truck. 

“People don’t just regenerate from being impaled! You clearly have a Quirk!’ Midoriya yelled. 

“Look. I just found out about Quirks two days ago so if I had a Quirk surely someone would have informed me about it especially when I was displaying such impossible abilities like healing fast or psychic dreams or an innate sense of metaphysics, right?” Ben tried to reason. He had loaded the last of the three bounty hunters into the truck.

“But you can’t be a hero without a Quirk!” All Might exclaimed.

Ben merely responded with a cold glare before saying “So have you always been this racist or is this a recent development?”.

“No- I-I-I was just stating a fact” All Might stuttered.

“Really? Because I don’t have a Quirk and I’ve saved that guy” Ben paused to point at Midoriya “twice in three days as well help capture four villains and save one other guy. Hey is that guy alright by the way?” Ben asked that question to Midoriya specifically while All Might could only gape.

“K-Kacchan’s fine but there’s something I don’t understand”

“Shoot”

“You say you didn’t know what a Quirk was until two days ago but currently 80% of the population has a Quirk. Even if you don’t have a Quirk, you should’ve at least known about them long before then”.

Suddenly a rift in space-time opened and a man in a lab coat and green goggles walked through. “I can answer that, Izuku Midoriya”. 

“How-” Midoriya began to question before Ben interrupted “Timey-wimey time travel BS. All you need to know is that he’s a time traveller and knows everything”. 

“Indeed. Anywho, Ben, quite simply you and your partner have come into contact with several time aberrations; beings that distort time, space or even reality itself. Hugo, Eon and more recently Maltruant; all of them are or were time aberrations and you Ben have come into contact with them all”. 

“But what does that have to do with anything” Ben asked while Midoriya tried to process this information.

“Tell me Ben, why do you think I simply stand on the sidelines whenever conflict arouses despite being one of the most powerful time travellers in this reality. If I so chose, I could simply stop time and deal with any issue that arises. If I so chose, you wouldn’t have to do anything and there would be no need for a Symbol of Peace. Why do you think that is?” Paradox asked, grinning at his last statement.

“Now hold on, Mr. Paradox was it? While I have no doubt about your capabilities, I think saying that there would be no need for a Symbol of Peace is a bit of an exaggeration!” All Might exclaimed.

“Why hello Mr. Toshinori Yagi, it is a pleasure to meet you” Paradox said as if he had just noticed All Might was there. “Would you like a gumball?” Paradox asked holding a bag of gumballs that definitely wasn’t in his hand before.

“No.” All Might said with a dumbfounded expression before morphing it into a frustrated one to rant at Paradox for his earlier statement. Midoriya was trying to calm him down to no avail. 

Ben however, was pondering Paradox’s question. Why had Paradox just stood back and allowed him to play hero? It couldn’t have been because he was unable to; he’d helped out in the past before. But even then he tended to have a fairly minor role in actually defeating those villains as Ben recalled back to the Highbreed War, in which Paradox’s only contribution was taking out nameless mooks. 

‘Think Ben think. Why wouldn’t Paradox have a more active role in times of crisis’

Suddenly Ben recalled a couple of sentences Paradox had uttered during his fight against Aggregor. 

_“Travelling in time weakens the fabric of space. The reality in Los Soledad is already paper-thin”_

“Well if you can defeat All for One with a snap of your fingers, why don’t you?!” All Might exclaimed. He looked as if he was on the verge of manhandling the professor. 

“Who’s All for One?” Midoriya asked.

“Someone you don’t need to worry about Young Midoriya” All Might spoke firmly denying Midoriya the chance to argue.

“On the contrary, Toshinori, All for One is a being Midoriya has every right to be concerned about. The two have quite the history or is it will have? Tenses can be so confusing as a time traveller”. All Might was positively seething at that.

“It’s to protect the universe” Ben spoke with a firm tone, causing everyone to turn to him.

“What was that, young man?”.

“The reason Paradox can’t make too many direct actions is because as a time traveller any action he takes will create a ripple effect, which will weaken the space-time continuum as a result. But Paradox, that still doesn’t explain why I and Rook don’t know what a Quirk is”. 

“Indeed. In many ways I could be considered a time aberration as well. However, the reason you and your partner were unaware of what a Quirk is because you two are well on your way to becoming aberrations yourselves” Paradox said with a grim tone. 

“Having been in the centre of too many reality altering events has caused you to become displaced in time as it were, now able to notice changes to the timeline. This universe has deviated far from it’s original course and you two are now noticing it”.

Rook, who had been quiet until now finally spoke. “But Paradox, Ben was facing these ‘reality altering events’ long before I became his partner. How is it that both of us are affected?”

“While Ben has been a hero for longer than you have been a plumber, he did not actually start facing many aberattions until you showed up. That isn’t to say he didn’t face any aberattions at all; examples are Hugo and my time machine, which was not a failure-” Paradox glared at no one in particular before continuing. 

“But make no mistake. Ben is further on his way to becoming an aberattion than you are. He’s simply been at the center of more events with more of an impact; even disregarding his creation of the universe and holding the Big Bang”.

“WHAT?!” Midoriya and All Might exclaimed before staring at Ben. ‘Just how powerful was this guy’ was the simultaneous thought they had on their minds. 

Paradox paid them no mind. “As aberattions you two are beginning to notice the differences between timelines and one particular deviation...”

“... Is the emergence of Quirks” Rook said with realization.

“Indeed. While Quirks were going to make an appearance eventually they have appeared 200 years ahead of schedule as have certain individuals like those two” Paradox pointed to Midoriya and All Might who were still gaping at Ben. 

Paradox turned back to Ben. “The reason I am here is because things are about to make a drastic change depending on you and Izuku. While I cannot say what, I will give you that free advice you requested. Do not use Alien X unless absolutely necessary. A celestialsapien’s mere presence can cause disastrous changes to the timeline after all. Izuku Midoriya is far more important than you realize and when the time comes to it, I trust you’ll do the right thing Ben” Paradox said before giving a cheerful “Toodles” and disappearing in thin air.

“Do-Does he always do that?!” All Might asked.

“Yeah, he just kinda shows up and disappears when it suits him” Ben replied. 

“Hmph. Good riddance” All Might said. 

“So you’re name is Izuku Midoriya?” Ben said turning to the green haired boy who’s probably still in shock. 

“Y-y-yes!” Midoriya answered. 

“Ben Tennyson” Ben said before shaking Midoriya’s hand. 

“Excuse me. Do you have any relation to Hisashi Midoriya?” Rook asked peering over Ben’s shoulder. 

Midoriya didn’t know why that question had such an effect on him, after all he hadn’t seen his father in years. Perhaps it was because he had finally reached his limit as to how much crazy shit he could handle in a day but regardless, his response was to faint right then and there.

“Young Midoriya!”


	3. Morality

Eighteight couldn’t believe it, having just been placed in the truck while her brothers bickered about whose fault it was. She had been so sure that they would’ve been able to beat Tennyson this time. Her plan was foolproof and she made sure to double check it with her brothers...

Oh who was she kidding? They’ve never been able to defeat Tennyson even when he’s alone. He could’ve probably ended the fight right then and there with a different form. His partner showing up just ensured their defeat.

This was a stupid plan. They never should’ve done this but they were desperate for money. Repeated failed missions had caused their finances and resources to plummet and they really needed money if they were going to take care of Twotwo as well as themselves. 

The only reason they took this mission was for the reward. 10 dumpsters of Taydenite. It was almost too good to be true! It probably was too good to be true but they needed the money and the bounty was against the person behind their repeated failures in the first place. 

Well, whose fault it was didn’t matter. The top priority was finding a way to escape from the truck and find Twotwo, maybe scavenge some money or food for the night and go off from there. She’d survived Sotoroggia and found a way to leave with her family, this was child’s play by comparison.

* * *

“So, uh, do you know where lives?” Ben asked All Might.

“Unfortunately, I only have his contact details. This was the first day for his training, after all and I figured I’d get any details of his after training. I didn’t want to be overly presumptuous after all.”

“May I ask what training, this Midoriya is undertaking?” Rook asked though his eyes stayed on Midoriya’s unconscious form.

All Might didn’t say anything, conflicted about what to do in this situation.

“Right. Well I suppose we have been privvy to more of your secrets after all” All Might said with sheepish expression.

And so All Might told Ben and Rook the story of One For All. How it was a Quirk that passed on from generation to generation, getting more powerful with each bestowal and how Midoriya was the person he had chosen to succeed him.

“Surely there are better options than a defenseless middle schooler” Rook tried to reason while Ben processed what had been told to him.

“Well, the thing is I have been looking for a successor for a while and he’s the first to possess the personality of a true hero” All Might said, scratching his neck.

“A true hero?” Rook said incredulously.

“The drive to do good and put the needs of others above their own. Surely, young Tennyson you noticed young Midoriya’s heroic nature when he selflessly risked his life to save a classmate’s” All Might said directly to Ben. 

“But from what Ben has told me, Midoriya only served to make the situation worse!” Rook exclaimed. 

Ben was quiet for a moment before speaking “This Quirk. If Midoriya had it he’d surely be able to become a hero if he had it, right?”

All Might grinned “Without a doubt”. 

Ben sighed “Then go for it. It’s not like it’s any of our business anyway”.

“I knew you’d see him for the kind hero he was destined to be!”

Ben was quiet before speaking “It’s not quite like that. Before acquiring the Omnitrix, I was just like him. I didn’t have any special powers but I wanted to help people. However, I know better than anyone that just because you want to help people doesn’t mean you actually can. All I did was add another casualty as it were and the people I tried to help weren’t exactly thankful for my efforts”. 

Both Rook and All Might looked on with somber expressions. “Ben” Rook said softly.

“Besides if you don’t give him that Quirk he’s just gonna get himself killed anyway with that heroic nature of his” Ben said in a joking manner though all three present knew the likelihood of what he had said coming to pass. 

“I do have one question though. Why was Midoriya cleaning trash from this beach?” Ben asked with a curious tone.

“Ah. Well, as he is now Midoriya is an ill-suited vessel for my Quirk. Because the Quirk stockpiles energy from generation to generation, it has gotten so powerful that a regular person just can’t handle the sheer power of it” All Might exclaimed.

“Right. So cleaning the beach is his training?”

“Indeed. Why if Midoriya tried to take my Quirk as he is now, his limbs would blow right off!” All Might said with a much too cheerful expression for the morbidity of what he had just said. Ben and Rook’s only response was their jaws dropping to the ground. 

Once he had recovered Rook asked a question that sent shivers down All Might’s spine “And his parents are ok with this?” 

“Uh-well you see. I was kinda planning on keeping it a secret from anyone who didn’t need to know...” All Might said while twiddling his fingers.

“And his parents don’t need to know about a potentially dangerous power that could critically injure their son if not handled properly?”

“Well...”

“I guess it’s a good thing we’re all dropping Midoriya off at his house then” Ben said with a smirk. “That should give you just the right opportunity to tell his parents what you’ plan to do with him” 

“Midoriya is perfectly capable of getting home on his own!” All Might said desperately trying to stop this meeting.

“Nonsense. He’s just had a traumatic experience and is in no condition to be walking home at this time of night. Besides if his reaction to Rook’s question means what I think it does, we have business with one of his relatives anyway” Ben said with a sadistic grin on his face.

* * *

Midoriya didn’t know what to expect when he woke up. He certainly didn’t expect to wake up on the beach to see All Might looking scared while Ben and his partner glared daggers at him. Ben turned to him and said “Oh, you’re awake. Good. We would’ve dropped you off at your house but unfortunately you fainted and no one knows where you live”.

‘That’s right’ Midoriya thought. ‘I fainted after... after that guy asked me if I knew my father’.

Now the group were on their way to his house but that still left him curious as to why All Might was scared. 

As if Ben read his mind (‘Can he read minds?’), he responded to Izuku’s thoughts. “Don’t worry. All Might is just preparing how to tell your parents about One For All”

Midoriya’s eyes widened before muttering in a downwards spiral “B-b-but he can’t tell my mother about One For All. She’s gonna prevent me from accepting it and then I can’t be a hero! And then I’ll end up in some lousy office job and I’ll end up all alone and in depression and then-”

“Hey! Calm down and just relax. I can assure you that everything’s gonna turn out alright” Ben said in a soothing voice before grinning “Besides I don’t have a Quirk and I’m a great hero”.

Midoriya didn’t know what changed but something about Ben’s expression or voice allowed him to feel as if he could trust him. ‘Yeah. Everything’s gonna be alright’ Midoriya thought as a small smile crept onto his face.

* * *

“Absolutely not!” His mother exclaimed and Midoriya glared at Ben for giving him hope. Ben at least had the decency to look somewhat sheepish after the rejection. To be fair the meeting was going well. 

Inko was initially suspicious of the tall gaunt man and two strangers that had followed him home. However, that expression was immediately replaced by awe and delight when All Might revealed himself and she even started crying tears of joy when she recognized Ben as the same person who had saved her son. A couple exchanges hear and there about what One For All was and why Izuku had taken All Might’s interest and it looked like she was ready to approve him getting One For All especially considering the training he’d undertake would be something productive and help the environment. ‘Unlike his hero notebooks’ went unspoken. Then All Might had to open his big fat mouth and say “His limbs would blow right off if he doesn’t” with that SAME. DAMN. SMILE on his face.

The reactions after that varied from person to person. Rook facepalmed and Ben followed but added a frustrated groan. Izuku’s eyes widened as he looked at his mentor in disbelief and let out a high-pitched whine and of course Inko’s expression shifted from one of pride and approval to one of fear and anger. All Might for his part didn’t seem to realize what he’d done wrong.

“But-”

“No! I’m sorry All Might. As a citizen of the city, I am thankful for all that you have done as the Symbol of Peace but I will not allow my son to take part in something that could rob him of his limbs!” Inko exclaimed.

“Shouldn’t you consult your husband before making a decision like this?” Ben tried to reason. Of course that only made things worse. 

Inko’s expression darkened. “Don’t even get me started on that deadbeat! He left five years ago and never returned. Sure he deposits money into our account and provides for us but he hasn’t even called once...” Inko’s expression softened and she started to sob.

“A-are you-” Ben started to ask but was cut off.

“No I’m not ok! But you wouldn’t be ok either if your son was diagnosed with a genetic disease that made him powerless in a world where everyone has a superpower! A-and your husband eventually left you for something that was out of your or your child’s control! A-a-and instead of supporting your child, you crush his dreams AT THE AGE OF FOUR because you want to protect him. No because you’re a coward who couldn’t handle the fact that her son was a minority. I’M SORRY IZUKU” Inko wailed. 

“Mom...” Izuku wasn’t quite sure what else to say. Everything she said was likely true and he had always wished that his mother was more supportive of his dreams instead of breaking down and crying.

The other three people in the room just had unsure expressions, not really knowing what to do.

“So Mr. Tennyson to answer your question. No, Hisashi does not get a say in this decision” Inko said as she recovered her composure.

“So they are related” Rook said.

“Not the time Rook” Ben quickly said. “Look Ms. Midoriya I understand your concerns, my parents were exactly the same but the thing is restricting your son isn’t going to protect him”.

“And just what do you mean by that?!”

“You know, what All Might said before y’know” Ben took that moment to shoot an annoyed glance at All Might.

“The reason your son was chosen was because he has a kind heart, a desire to save people and just wants to be a hero. I suspect a lot of that was because you’ve done such a good job raising him... but the problem is you’ve done too good a job”. 

Inko raised an eyebrow, confused as to what Ben was talking about.

“In the past three days, Izuku’s heroic nature has nearly gotten him killed. He’s ended up in two seperate villain incidents and he’s lucky that me and All Might were there to save him... but one day we won’t be. And so you have a choice. You can choose to allow him the means to defend himself when he inevitably ends up in another villain attack. Maybe he’ll even be able to make it his job to protect others and make it big” Ben paused before continuing “Or you can reject it and your son just may end up dead and the only thing he’ll have accomplished is becoming another statistic”. 

That last statement actually caused Inko to flinch in shock and she began to reconsider her judgement. If she allowed Izuku to inherit One For All, there was a chance he could be critically injured or dead but if what Ben had said was true, Izuku might end up dead either way with One For All being the only means to defend himself! Torn between Izuku’s immediate safety or his safety long-term, Inko did not know which was better.

“Besides All Might was probably exaggerating how much danger One For All actually is. I mean it’s been through eight generations and it hasn’t caused that much damage before. The training is just a precaution to ensure Izuku’s safety and that nothing will go wrong, right All Might?” Ben asked that last part in particularly venomous fashion, shooting All Might a cold glare as he did so.

Thankfully All Might seemed to get the message “Uh, yes of course! While there is a minute chance something will go wrong, the Quirk’s never lashed out to that extent before so with training it should be fine” All Might said before boisterously laughing.

Inko didn’t say anything for a moment before sighing with tears in her eyes “OK. Izuku you can train to inherit All Might’s Quirk...”

Izuku grinned and was about to yell in celebration but Inko interrupted him “On two conditions. You need to promise me that you will try to keep yourself safe both before and after you have received One For All and I want you to be supervised by either All Might or this young man here”. 

Izuku smiled “You’ve got it mom”. 

“So when will you be able to get All Might’s Quirk?”

“Well, if all goes according to plan, Young Midoriya should be able to inherit my Quirk in 10 months. Just in time for the entrance exam at U.A!” All Might cheerfully explained.

“U.A?! Wait, you’re not seriously banking Izuku’s high school entrance exam on a power he just received with no idea how to use it, are you” Inko said returning to her glare at All Might.

All Might frowned and said the only thing he could in this situation “Uh...”

Ben sighed “Man, you really aren’t cut out for teaching are you?”. He stood back up and said “OK, Rook is there anything preventing you from teaching Izuku Revonnah Kai?”

“Not to my knowledge but even then Revonnah is going through a period of change provided there have not been any deviations” Rook said putting his hand to his chin. “Why exactly do you want me to teach Izuku Revonnah Kai?”

“What exactly is this Revonnah Kai?” Inko asked.

“It is the primary martial art of my people, Ms Midoriya though why Ben wants me to teach your son it is a mystery” Rook said, still waiting for an answer.

“Well, I just thought if you could teach him Revonnah Kai, he might be able to learn the Stone Cutter technique, right? And that could apply as a Quirk on it’s own and would certainly allow Izuku to hold his own. Of course in real life it just wouldn’t be practical but it should help him get by for a simple Entrance Exam”. Rook’s expression shifted to one of understanding. 

“It may be possible though I would need Ms. Midoriya’s permission to train him of course” Rook looked at her questioningly. 

“As long as it keeps my son safe, I have no issues...” 

All Might was keeping very quiet during this, almost as if he feared that another word would send Inko on the warpath. 

“Then it’s settled. Rook will train Midroiya in Revonnah Kai until he’s able to inherit All Might’s Quirk” Ben said with a triumphant grin before his face turned serious. “Now onto the reason we’re here. Ms. Midoriya would it be possible if we could talk to you in private” He said shooting All Might and Izuku glances.

“I suppose I have no objections”. Inko got up to lead the two Plumbers to a more private room.

“Great” Ben said as he and Rook were about to follow until All Might interrupted.

“Um, actually Young Tennyson is it possible for Rook to be able to handle this business with Midoriya’s mother alone. I’d like my own word with you in private”. 

Ben shot a glance at Rook who merely shrugged. “Sure” he said as his eyes narrowed. And so Rook followed Inko while Ben followed All Might and Midoriya was just left in the living room, all alone.

* * *

“So what exactly did you want to talk about Mr. Rook?” Inko asked nervously. 

“It is about your husband.”

“What about him?” Inko asked coldly.

“He was apart of the same organization Ben and I are from. Why he did not tell you is beyond me but the real reason we are in Japan was to find him and his partner after disappearing five years ago. Any information you could provide about his behavior before he disappeared would be helpful” Rook explained. 

Inko put her hand to her mouth and begin to think about what her husband was like. “To be honest, I didn’t know much about the man. He was fascinated about all things Quirk-related, even kept notebooks full of notes on ones that caught his particular interest. I suppose, it’s just another thing Izuku got from him”. 

Rook cleared his throat causing Inko to flinch and get back on topic.

“Right. I didn’t know what he did for a living but I assumed he was a freelancer. He was a prosecutor for Hero cases but he was likely involved in the media as well. He was always going around asking for interviews from figures of particular importance, dressed in that same sharp suit of his” Inko sighed. Despite her complaints of the man, it was clear that she missed him or at least the days when he was part of the family. 

“So you married a man you had little information on?” Rook asked.

“I know it wasn’t very smart but well, I don’t know how to explain it. Me and Hisashi just really clicked and it wasn’t until nine years after Izuku was born that he finally ran out on us. He didn’t even seem that affected by Izuku’s Quirklessness. However, now that I’ve had five years to think about it there were a lot of hints that something was wrong” Inko said seriously.

Rook nodded as if silently asking her to elaborate.

“Well, he always used to take long trips away overseas supposedly for his work. While he never outwardly expressed it, I could tell he was conflicted about Izuku’s Quirklessness and dreams about becoming a hero. I mean he handled it much better than I did but still” Inko paused with a guilty look plastered on her face before continuing “And despite loving Quirks, he had a blatant disdain for heroes, Hero Agencies, Hero Academies, even Hero Society itself. He even once called Endeavor a “waste of life whose flames were better off burning garbage”! To his face. If it wasn’t for his own Quirk, he’d have been burnt to a crisp”. 

“And what exactly was Hisashi’s Quirk?” Rook asked despite knowing what Hisashi's record said.

“Fire-breathing. Despite not having an active role, his fire was easily able to rival Endeavor’s Hellflame” Inko said before looking directly at Rook “I’m sorry I can’t be more help. It has been five years after all but if I remember anything else that may be important I’ll be sure to tell you!” 

“Thank you for your time Ms. Midoriya” Rook said as he got up to leave the home and check on the bounty hunters in the truck. 

“Wait!” 

Rook paused to look back at her.

“I know it’s selfish but can you promise me that you’ll take care of Izuku.”

Rook looked at her questioningly before saying “Of course, why would I not?”

“I-It’s nothing”

* * *

Meanwhile, another conversation was going on outside between Ben and All Might though this one focused on current events rather than the past.

“I know what you did, young Tennyson.” All Might spoke with a cold tone. Disappointment and anger were etched into the gaunt man’s face. 

Ben sighed “And what exactly did I do, All Might?”

“You manipulated Young Midoriya’s mother! How can you stand there with that smile knowing you did something so unheroic?!” All Might asked with a frustrated tone. “The whole reason I came here was because you and your partner forced me to tell young Midoriya’s mother the truth”. 

“Quite frankly I don’t see how it matters. Everything I said was completely true. She has done a good job raising her kid and the kid’s probably going to get himself killed if he doesn’t get that Quirk”. Ben paused before taking on a sinister expression “Besides if I’m unheroic, what does that make you?”

“What?!” All Might asked incredulously, clearly not understanding where Ben was coming from.

“I’m just saying, while I was “manipulating” Minoriya’s mom, you could’ve stopped me at any moment but did you? No because our interests align. We both want that kid to get One For All and you knew that the best chance of that happening was to sit there and have someone else convince his mom that it was a good idea” Ben paused almost as if he was thinking of something before continuing. “And there’s a difference between telling someone the truth in that there’s a chance this could critically injure someone and cheerfully telling someone that this’ll BLOW YOUR KID’S LIMBS RIGHT OFF! Tact. Learn to use it”.

For a moment All Might didn’t know how to respond. He knew he had screwed up in how he told Midoriya’s mother the truth but to have it laid right out in front of him hurt. However, something Ben had said caught his attention.

“Our interests align... What exactly are your interests young Tennyson?” All Might said seriously. While he had used up his time limit today, he may still be able to muster up enough energy to give Ben a beating if he was planning to use young Midoriya for some nefarious purpose. 

“Oh, make no mistake. I do hope he becomes a great hero. I didn’t lie when I said that we weren’t so different but if he becomes a great hero, surely his deadbeat dad will come back, right? And if and when that happens me and Rook will be ready to strike. Now if we’re done here, I need to go check that the bounty hunters haven’t escaped. I have some business with them” Ben said as he walked off back to the truck.

All Might let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. All the tension in his body seemingly vanished. All Might was left unsure of what to do. ‘The right thing is to tell young Midoriya but young Tennyson wasn’t wrong when he said that our interests align...’ Manipulating one person to ensure the Symbol of Peace lives on and saves countless others? All Might had to concede it wasn’t a very large price to pay.

All Might decided that for now, it was best that young Midoriya didn’t know about Tennyson’s manipulations. His mother had entrusted young Midoriya to both him and Tennyson and it seemed that she placed more trust in him than she did All Might. He could only hope that this partnership didn’t end disastrously.

* * *

Mr. Baumann had thought things were looking up. He had finally found love. Ben had finally left the country. There hadn’t been any villains attacking his shop in a while. All in all, his shop was damage-free and continued to be a safe-haven for aliens that had to hide from the fragments of Forever Knights that continued to persist in their activities.

He should have known it was too good to last. He had merely gone to the back to stock up on supplies and when he returned, he found this gigantic grey man wielding a red energy ax. 

“Oh, don’t mind me” the man said and he didn’t look to be causing any trouble so Baumann left him to his devices. However, soon another person arrived or rather a robotic crab looking thing arrived. 

Baumann silently prayed to whatever god that would answer that there was no more trouble going to ensue. However, if there was a god, they were laughing at him. His store continued to fill up with miscreants from three humanoids in purple armor to a biker gang to the usual miscreants of Psyphon’s gang. His patience nearly broke when Vulkanus arrived. However, just as he was about to exclaim what in the actual hell was going in his store, Psyphon intervened.

“Relax, old man. This shall only take a moment.

For some reason he was carrying a laptop, which he proceeded to set up. “Uh we need the Wi-Fi.” Psyphon said before turning the laptop to him. Mr. Baumann grumbled but decided the sooner this was over with, the better and quickly put the password in.

Psyphon mumbled a “thank you” before standing up and turning to the mass of villains inhabiting the store. “If I’m correct, you were all told to come here with the promise of either the Omnitrix or Tennyson’s location or” Psyphon paused looking at the bounty hunters “Taydenite?”. The bounty hunters either nodded or grinned confirming his theory. 

“Right, well the floor is yours” Psyphon said to whoever he was Skyping. There was only a box that said AUDIO ONLY. 

“Thank you!” the voice said cheerfully. “Now if I’m correct all of you had suffered quite a few humiliating defeats at the hands of Ben Tennyson. I mean he’s only a kid with a watch. He should be easy to beat and yet you’ve all failed to beat him” the voice took on a smug undertone as most of the villains cried out in anger. 

“Now, now, now. I understand that it’s more difficult than it appears and was probably a result of you lot underestimating him, rather than because you were weak and/or pathetic. That’s why I’m giving you one final chance” and that caught the attention of all the villains in the store before the voice continued. “I’ll give you the co-ordinates of his location, hint; he’s in Japan, and anyone who kills him and his partner gets to keep their equipment including that troublesome little watch of his plus I’ll even throw in my entire Taydenite deposit. How big is that you ask? Well imagine, like 10 dumpsters full of the stuff and no that does not mean I’ve just hidden it away in random dumpsters throughout the city”. The voice paused before continuing “I mean it’s up to you but if I were you I’d take me up on this gracious offer. I bid you adieu”. 

The AUDIO ONLY message was replaced with some co-ordinates as well as an email address, which almost everyone took pictures of before leaving, no doubt thinking about how to kill Tennyson.

Baumann on the other hand, had only one thought on his mind. ‘I’ve got to warn Ben about this’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so this chapter is called "Morality" because this is the chapter where I start to introduce the morality of some characters. I've noticed that MHA, as good as it is, tends to keep it's characters in two alignments. Good and Bad. White and Black etc. If you didn't notice, I'm not doing that. 
> 
> Both Ben 10 and All Might are good people but Ben's morality is a lot more flexible, which is something that the AF/UA era dove a little into (especially the Aggregor arc). All Might's morals are not so easily turned but that doesn't necessarily mean he's better. Just as Ben has no issues manipulating others or generally being a selfish douche, All Might has no problem's putting someone's kid in danger and keeping it a secret from them. Ben does morally questionable things while All Might is morally questionable because of his secrecy and inaction. At least that's how I see it. 
> 
> Also the plot thickens as the big bad makes his second appearance. Who is this big bad, I wonder? As always reviews, comments and criticism is appreciated.


	4. Sotoraggians

The first thing Midoriya did that day was to reorganize his schedule. It was a given, considering he was not only cleaning the beach but also getting training in some alien martial art and had to juggle these two things with school work all so that he could pass the entrance exam in 10 months.

As Rook hadn’t left the house (his truck had a flat tyre and his mother insisted that they stay the night), he was able to get training out of the way early in the morning. However, despite Ben saying that the Stone Cutter technique specifically would help him, Rook was just having him do meditation poses. Apparently he had to get a ‘feel’ for the art whatever that meant.

Frankly Midoriya doubted he would be doing this but Rook’s demonstration of the Stone Cutter technique filled him with determination. Said demonstration had left a small but noticeable crater in the road. Unfortunately Rook underestimated how powerful he could use the technique and as such destroyed on his truck’s tyres.

Apparently Revonnah Kai used a similar methodology to ki. Well, similar in the sense that the user draws out energy that is apparently stored from within. While he wasn’t a revonnagander, heroes like Sun Wukong; the Monkey Hero allegedly had Quirks that had nothing to do with ki (Sun Wukong’s for example was a simple mutation Quirk) or were even Quirkless themselves and used a similar technique. Back when he was trying to find his Quirk, Izuku also tried to bring out ki in an attempt to have _something_. But his attempts beared no fruit. However, that might change now that he has an actual teacher.

With renewed vigor, Izuku focused on trying to feel this energy inside him...

‘OK this is taking way too long, why the hell isn’t it working?!’ Izuku thought after five minutes of essentially standing in a silly pose. A growl interrupted his thoughts and when Izuku looked up, he saw the three villains from yesterday staring at him.

There was a pause. Eighteight tilted her head curiously, wondering why the kid from yesterday was doing a silly pose. Sevenseven growled but Sixsix actually waved at the kid he had held hostage just the previous day.

Izuku knew he couldn’t do anything against any one of them much less all of them, so he did the only thing he could in that situation. ‘Alright, I’ve just got to calmly analyze the situation, see if they have any weak points and “RUN AWAY!”

Izuku quickly ran to find All Might or even Ben and Rook so that they could hopefully re-apprehend the villains. ‘How did they even escape?” Midoriya thought in panic as he ran into someone. It was Ben... and Rook!

“You guys have to help! The villains from yesterday have escaped custody, I don’t know how but maybe someone broke into your truck last night! Anyway they’ve out and about and I’m pretty sure they’re gonna try to hold me hostage again and” Midoriya had entered his usual muttering state.

“Relax!” Ben said firmly. “I’m sure everything’s fine. Just take a seat and we’ll work this out” Ben gestured to a small crystal pillar.

“Y-you don’t believe me!” Izuku started to cry but just as he said that the three bounty hunters arrived “S-s-see there they are! Now you can just defeat them again and make extra-sure they won’t escape”

Midoriya was confident that Ben and Rook were going to leap into action to defeat the villains but they did nothing. Izuku felt like crying. In fact he probably already was judging by his wet face but then he noticed something. The three villains also weren’t attacking him or Ben for that matter.

Rook turned to Ben with a glare and said “Go on Ben. Explain to Midoriya how you were the one to release the bounty hunters”

“What?!!”

“Let me explain from the beginning...

_Last night._

_Ben was unsure of himself as he walked to the Proto-TRUK. He was sure he’d done the right thing for finding Hisashi Midoriya but was it the right thing for his morals. All Might certainly didn’t think so but he was a hypocrite. Still Ben couldn’t deny that he may have had a point. ‘Well, it’s not like I can’t think about this more after I’m finished here’ Ben thought as he entered the truck, only to be met with three loud growls._

_It seemed that Eighteight had managed to get her restraints off and was working on Sevenseven’s. She stared at him before lunging at him. Ben barely had enough time to transform into Goop and restrain her before putting her restraints back on. As he transformed back, he was met with Eighteight whining? Not quite what he expected from the badass bounty hunter but ok._

_“All right. Calm down! I know all about your employer. Hired you and a bunch of other bounty hunters to hunt me and Rook down. Said you could keep my Omnitrix and would pay you 10 dumpsters full of Taydenite for your troubles” Ben said to the bounty hunters earning him some surprised growls._

_“You’re not the only ones with friends who wish to keep their identities secret” Ben smirked “But what I want to know is why the three of you would fall for such an obvious lie” The growling momentarily stopped no doubt wanting Ben to elaborate on that._

_“10 dumpsters full of Taydenite? Even being generous and assuming he meant the smallest dumpsters around, there’s still not enough Taydenite on the planet to fill that many dumpsters”_

_Sixsix let out a high-pitched whine but Eighteight seemed to be trying to talk with him if her repeated growls were any indication. Unfortunately Ben didn’t speak Sotoraggian so they were at an impass. However after five minutes of Eighteight trying to talk to him, Ben had an idea and reached for his Omnitrix. All three of the bounty hunters tensed._

_“Relax” Ben said before using the Omnitrix’s Scan Function to scan Eighteight. Once the Omnitrix finished scanning, Ben hit the Omnitrix in a flash of light. Once the light died down, his form had been replaced by a lean but muscular Sotoraggian wearing green armor._

_“OK, what?” Ben said._

_Eighteight seemed to still be at a loss for word before finally saying “If you could turn into one of our species at any time, why didn’t you to better understand us?”_

_“Look. Rook does just fine translating for me. Quite frankly you guys aren’t very high on my rouges gallery so I didn’t really think it was worth it” Ben shrugged. “Also it’s kinda hard to scan someone that is repeatedly trying to kill you. Now what exactly were you trying to tell me?”_

_The Sotoraggian was silent for a moment before replying “Right. Taydens. Aren’t Taydens made of Taydenite”_

_“Uh. Taydens aren’t actually made out of Taydenite. They’re made of a cheap substitute that is nowhere near as durable or valuable. Why do you think it costs 5 Taydens for some street food? I mean if we had enough Taydenite to make it into currency, it would be nowhere near as valuable”._

_“Oh” Eighteight said in a disappointed tone._

_“That bastard!” Sevenseven replied outraged._

_“Calm down” Sixsix tried to reason._

_“No I won’t calm down. It’s because of him that we’re stuck in this mess in the first place!”_

_“Technically you’re stuck in this mess in the first place because you tried to kill me and failed” Ben tried to reason._

_“Shut it. We’ve been arrested, Twotwo is probably alone and scared by now and we used the last of our fuel just trying to get to this country”._

_“So I’m assuming you guys are having financial issues” Ben said._

_All three bounty hunters turned to him and just stared at him. It was actually kinda creepy after a solid 60 seconds of them doing nothing but stare at him._

_Finally Sevenseven responded in a low tone “Yes.”_

_“Well, have I got some good news for you!” Ben said in what he assumed to be a cheerful tone for a Sotoraggian. “I may not have Taydenite but I do believe we could help each other”_

_“And just how-” Sevenseven tried to respond before he was interrupted by Ben._

_“Look we both want to find this guy. I mean he put a bounty on not just my head but also my partner’s. He forced you to waste precious resources but... if you were to work for me I could make it worth your while” Ben said confidently._

_“And how exactly would you make it worth our while?” Sixsix asked_

_Ben grinned before placing his hand on the Omnitrix symbol on his chest plate turning into a creature made of some blue crystalline substance with two spikes protruding from his back. “I believe you’ve met Diamondhead!” Diamondhead proclaimed loudly before generating a large pile of crystals “It may not be Taydenite but I feel these will be worth quite a lot to the right buyer” Diamondhead smirked._

_In response he got a bunch of growls. “Oh, come on!” Diamondhead said before turning back into Ben’s Sotoroggian form._

_“Sorry, what was that?”_

_Sevenseven was the one to respond this time “Well, seeing as we have no other choice. We’ll take you up on your offer” before sighing in resignation._

_“Of course what we do will be purely up to how valuable these crystals are but I’m guessing you’ll be using us to search for our former client” Eighteight said._

_“Right! The only possible roadblock is my partner and grandpa but I’m sure there’ll be no issues there” Ben said._

* * *

_“Absolutely not!”_

_“But grandpa!”_

_“Don’t grandpa me, Ben. These three are dangerous villains who have tried to kill you and me on multiple occasions. From what Rook says, they tried to kill you just a few hours ago and I refuse to have another incident like last time” Max spoke in a stern and authoritative tone that was probably intended to leave no room for argument._

_“This is nothing like Fistrick” Ben tried to argue before Rook cut him off. The Revohnnagander having taken Max’s said in this if you can believe it._

_“And just why is this not like Fistrick?”_

_“Gee, I dunno how about everything surrounding the incident” Ben replied._

_“Really?” Max asked in an incredulous tone “You’re trying to work with villains that have tried to kill you on multiple occasions. Not only that but you’re trying to help them in their goals. How does this differ, Ben?”_

_“Motive for one. Fistrick was just being a criminal but Midoriya has forced them to use up all their resources. They’re desperate and not just doing this for laughs. Oh and what about the circumstances? With Fistrick, I was trying to be a spy and take them out from the inside but with these three, we’re gonna make them work for us, which won’t be a problem because like I said they’ve used up all their resources and are trying to take care of their little sister as well as themselves” Ben reasoned but both Rook and Max didn’t seem to be convinced._

_“Look. They aren’t villains because they want to be. They’re strictly in it for the money. We give them money and boom, we’ve got three competent bounty hunters on our side. Besides as that fight showed me and Rook can take them if they ever betray us”._

_Max said nothing for a moment causing both Ben and Rook to be uncomfortable before speaking “Under any other circumstances, I would pull the plug on this immediately but from what you told me two days ago, Smith died trying to keep this Quirk Integration Project secret. It may be more important than we first assumed. If Midoriya is the one behind the mass bounty hunt, than I suppose it couldn’t hurt to have extra hands on board trying to find him and unfortunately we cannot afford the manpower”._

_“Wait, what’s happened that you can’t send extra plumbers here?”_

_“Long story short there’s an incident in Los Soledad that Paradox has informed me about. Something about the space-time continuum shattering and we need to reinforce it before it’s too late. There’s also been a shipment of Techadon robots that have allegedly been stolen and Aggregor has been stirring up trouble in the Null Void and you get the idea” Max said absent-mindedly before adorning the serious expression before._

_“Ben. I am only agreeing to this because I know you and Rook can handle those three anytime. They aren’t very high-up on your villains list, after all. However, any other bounty hunter you try this on has to be approved by me or Rook. And if I hear that things have gotten out of hand, I will drag you back to base myself! I wish you two luck on your mission”. The hologram of Max fizzled out as the Plumbers adorned two different expressions; Rook’s was one of shock while Ben’s was one of triumph._

... And that’s pretty much all you need to know” Ben finished.

The whole flashback seemed to have broken Midoriya, who trying to say words but none came out.

“So, your boss is ok with you releasing three villains? And you can turn into one of them? How does that work? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!”

Ben glanced to Rook before responding to Midoriya “Uh, well in that order not really. As you can tell from Rook’s expression and general demeanor, my actions aren’t very appropriate for someone who is essentially a space cop. The only reason I’m getting away with this is that we need to make some headway on your dad’s location and we don’t have resources to spare”.

Ben paused upon noting Izuku’s expression before sighing “Your dad worked for our organization but we recently found evidence supporting the idea he had gone rogue during this project. As for your last two questions, yes I can turn into a Sotoraggian, one of their species” Ben pointed to the bounty hunters “and it’s thanks to some sciency stuff about this watch of mine” Ben gestured to the Omnitrix.

No one really spoke after that. Midoriya would normally be muttering to himself about the applications of a watch that can turn the user into other series was still trying to process the fact that his hostage taker had been released and was working under his savior.

After a while, Rook tried to change the topic by asking him about his meditation. This seemed to surprise Midoriya and succeeded at bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Well I tried getting a feel for ki but I just failed. Sorry.” Midoriya looked down at the ground.

“That is alright. Truth be told, I did not think you would get a feel for ki in the first place” Midoriya looked shocked but was placated when Rook continued “The meditation was just to see if you were a prodigy. I have learnt to expect that in my line of work”. He looked back to Midoriya and gestured to the crystalline structure before him.

“However, hopefully by 10 months you will be able to break this small construct” Rook said, prompting a gasp from Midoriya.

“But that’s just a giant crystal!”

“In ancient times my people used to break boulders with their bare fists to perfect the Stone Cutter technique. This is the best method of teaching you the Stone Cutter technique” Rook said in an educated tone.

“Right!” Midoriya grinned before charging at the structure and striking it as hard as he could. No one knew what Midoriya thought was going to happen but it probably wasn’t him reeling back in pain with an injured hand.

“I said in 10 months” Rook said in a panicked tone. “Right now, you’ll be hitting something easier to break like ice for example” Rook turned to Ben who grinned in response.

Ben hit the Omnitrix and in a flash of light had turned into a blue moth-like creature, whose wings were currently in the form of a hood.

“I call this form Big Chill” the creature said before breathing cold air, manipulating it so that it created a structure similar in size to the crystal construct that had injured Midoriya’s hand.

“You may not be able to destroy this at first but whittle at it day by day and you should be well on your way to learning the Stone Cutter technique. On another note, do you not you have school?” Rook inquired causing Midoriya to adopt an expression that could only be summed up as ‘oh crap’.  
“I’m gonna be late!” Midoriya exclaimed upon checking that he only had 20 minutes before classes started.

“No worries” Big Chill responded coolly before hitting the Omnitrix to cause him to be engulfed in a flash of green light. In the mothman’s place was a blue and black velociraptor... on wheels.

“XLR8!” it yelled out before grabbing Midoriya and his bag and running off... until stopping.

“Why’d you stop?”

“I... just realized I have no idea where you go to school” XLR8 said in a sheepish tone and so Midoriya gave him directions and then XLR8 raced him off to school.

Of course when XLR8 dropped him off, it had to be in front of Bakugou who just seemed really confused.

“Oh, you’re that other guy I saved” XLR8 noted before transforming back into Ben. “No need to thank me by the way” he said in a tone that was clearly implying the contrary.

Bakugou just stared at him before saying something about “Shitty Deku” and walked off. For his part, Ben didn’t seem to care and upon checking that Midoriya had everything zoomed off back to Rook. Midoriya, was left perplexed at why Kacchan hadn’t done more. ‘Why- was it because Ben was here?’ he thought before continuing his day, knowing that the next 10 months were going to be complete and utter hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so this is another example of Ben doing something morally questionable; hiring bounty hunters to help him. I should make something clear, the Sotoraggians may have an improved relationship with the Plumbers but they are not performing a Heel-Face Turn ala Kevin. No they won't betray Ben because they are just desperately in need of money and resources, not just for themselves but also for Twotwo. Right now the safest option is just to help him find Midor- I mean the mysterious person who put the bounty on our two Plumbers. So for the rest of the season (that's what I'm calling arcs), they will be temporary allies to the Plumbers.
> 
> Also sorry MHA fans but it's going to be a while before Midoriya does anything of importance. The problem is that the conflict of the season has nothing to do with him, which is a missing plumber that has possibly put a bounty on Ben and Rook's heads. Midoriya will be spending the majority of the season trying to learn Stone Cutter and cleaning up the garbage beach. Not saying he's going to be a minor character in this fic (I have big plans for him after the first season) or that he will be written out completely for the first season but he's not going to be as prevalent.


	5. Thanatos

“I can’t believe it” Ben exclaimed. The other four people present turned from what they were doing.

“What happened?” Rook asked, almost knowing that the answer was something self-absorbed, trite and had nothing to do with what they were meant to be doing. 

“I just searched myself on social media. They’re calling me and I quote “dangerous and a menace to society”. It’s Harangue all over again”.

“That’s fascinating. Now can we please plan our next move? How do you plan to find Hisashi Midoriya?” Rook asked with a tone that was begging Ben to get back on task. Thankfully, Ben complied.

“Well, assuming he’s the same guy who put a bounty on our heads, I’d assume at least one of the bounty hunters has some information on his whereabouts. In that case all we have to do is wait until they come to us” Ben said with a smirk. 

“I am still surprised that so many fell for a simple trick” Rook said with an almost disappointed look. 

“I don’t think they did. These three” Ben gestured to the three bounty hunters “only fell for it because they were desperate and are either insane or not very well educated in taydenite and how much of a backwater planet Earth is”.

Sixsix gave an offended growl. 

“Really?” Ben quirked an eyebrow “You guys have been beaten by me in combat at every turn and yet you still thought you could beat me by just charging at me and fighting me. If that’s not stupid, it’s most certainly insane”.

Sixsix merely gave a smaller, quieter growl in response, to which Ben continued his glare before turning to Rook.

“Anyway, the fact most of the bounty hunters had co-ordinates to where I, and the most dangerous and valuble weapon in the universe are is probably motivation enough for them to come here”

“However, the fact that these bounty hunters had no way of contacting him other than an email likely means that most of the bounty hunters don’t have any information on their client. The safest bet would be Psyphon assuming what Baumann says is the truth” Rook said in thought. 

“Of course we may have been able to lure out the client if someone hadn’t decided to send an angry email at the guy for deceiving him” he said turning to glare at Sevenseven who merely pointed at his other two siblings, sparking a fight between them.

“Well, luring him isn’t impossible. After all, there is the Thanatos idea we talked about but it’s going to be hard to pull off” Ben noted. 

Of course their scheming was interrupted by a green laser that was fired at Ben, who had to duck to avoid it. Ben quickly slammed his hand on the Omnitrix “come on Humungousaur!” Ben yelled before being engulfed in the trademark green light of the Omnitrix. 

However, despite his expectations of turning into a large, brown dinosaur with the ability to size-shift, Ben had turned into a small red goblin with a large nose. 

“Jury Rigg, really Omnitrix?” Ben said with a frustrated tone “Well, I suppose it has been a while since I mistransformed” the goblin sighed in resignation before turning to look at his assailant. 

From where the laser had been fired, there was a humanoid of black and green goo, with a single circular eye in the center of his forehead. 

“Baz-el. I assume you’re here for the bounty” Jury Rigg said while dodging another optic laser. 

“In a sense” Baz-el said before morphing over Sevenseven, the maroon armor now had a green and black colour scheme. The eyes had turned black while his weapon shots were green and despite Sevenseven’s panicked growls, it was clear who was really in control. Baz-el unleashed all his weapons at Jury Rigg who had to jump out of the way and hide by the truck. 

Jury Rigg had an idea and started dismantling the Proto-TRUK and using the parts to create three items that would hopefully be able to defeat Baz-el. One was an electro-magnetic grenade designed to capitilse on the Galvanic Mechamorph weakness. Another was something for protection. As he worked, he heard Sixsix and Eighteight join the fray while Baz-el continued to abuse the truck.

Jury Rigg looked up for a moment to see that despite their best efforts and the fact that Sevenseven was at a disadvantage in a regular fight, Baz-el was far more skilled in combat. Or rather, he had simply upgraded the suit to the point where they didn’t stand a chance. Guns were coming out of everywhere that would hold them; the shoulders, legs and a chest laser that was certainly more powerful than anything either of the three bounty hunters had wielded before.

The current strategy was for Eighteight to fight up close while Sixsix fired at him from the air. Despite Baz-el’s upgrades (or maybe because of them), Eighteight still held the mobility advantage and was able to dodge Baz-el’s shots with ease. That was until, Baz-el morphed two wired claws from his back to catch Sixsix and throw him at her. She dodged but left herself open for Baz-el’s chest blaster and blasted her into the truck and into Jury Rigg. 

Jury Rigg was momentarily stunned but went back to inventing as Eighteight got up to try and defeat Baz-el. Of course as Jury Rigg was inventing, Rook who had his shield threw a grenade at Baz-el. Unfortunately it did nothing but draw Baz-el’s attention.

“That’s right, you also had a bounty on your head” he said with a sinister tone. Rook’s eyes widened as Baz-el used Sevenseven’s upgraded jetpack to quickly get to him and smash through the Proto-Tool’s shield. 

“My Proto-Tool!” 

However, it would take more than that to defeat Rook who simply evaded all of Baz-el’s punches and grabs. Rook tried to punch through the armor as well but the armor was too tough for him and Baz-el used the opportunity to punch him into the ground breaking his armor. Eighteight and Sixsix used this opportunity to attack but they were blasted into a house by his shoulder cannons. Rook raised his right hand, which caused Baz-el to scoff 

“Surely you know your punches can’t hurt me”

“I do. But I am not trying to punch you” Rook said with a smile. Baz-el’s eye widened as Rook hit him with all the energy he could muster. 

“STONE CUTTER!” 

A wave of vibrations went through Baz-el and he was quickly blasted into the air, struggling to maintain his control over Sevenseven’s armor. Knowing he was bound to lose control soon, Baz-el unleashed all of his arsenal in one final blast that was sure to kill Rook. 

Just before the blast hit, Jury Rigg jumped in front of him and activated his second invention; a forcefield that functioned similar to Rook’s own Proto-Tool shield. For a second it seemed as if he had managed to block Baz-el’s blast but only for a second as the forcefield broke under the pressure and hit Rook and Jury Rigg, who was trying to activate the third device before being engulfed in a large beam.

When the dust settled, both Ben, who had been transformed back into his human form and Rook were lying prone on the ground. Baz-el approached the two and got a good look at them before removing the Omnitrix, knowing that if nothing else he could sell it for a large price on it’s own, especially with Vilgax and that fallen Galvan scientist after it. 

Baz-el let out a sigh of relief, when there was no reaction, before pulling out a phone to take a picture of the two presumed dead plumbers and contact his client. 

“Honestly such primitive technology. The sooner I get that taydenite, the sooner I can get off this planet, and the sooner that happens the better”.

“Hello?” a voice said, unsure of who was calling him. He had to be sure it wasn’t the Plumbers trying to lure him out with a fake picture.

“It’s done.” Baz-el said with a tone of finality. 

“Oh, awesome! I knew at least one of you would be able to succeed” the voice cheered. 

“Yes, yes, now just tell me where I can find my taydenite and we can go our seperate ways.”

“Oh, about that...”

“What” Baz-el asked, his eye narrowing in suspicion. 

“Yeah, I kinda don’t have it. I mean I’ve heard it’s like super rare, where am I supposed to even get 10 dumpsters of the stuff?”.

“But you have Taydens, right?” Baz-el said, hoping it was just a mix-up of vocabulary but he already knew the answer in his gut.

“Yeah, no” and there was no word to describe the amount of crushing disappointment he felt at that point. Every failure he had had in life was nothing in comparison to being used as a pawn in someone else’s game. On top of that, he’d had to kill two people for no reason.

“Look. Considering how unpopular, he was I’m sure you had some grudge against Tennyson so just take satisfaction in the fact that he is finally dead” the voice tried to placate him. The disappointment gave way to rage.

“But I didn’t have a grudge against him! Sure we had our... disputes but it never got to the point where I’d want to kill the boy over it” Baz-el said thinking back to all the times he’d tried to take back his spawn. “The only reason I hunted him was for the Taydenite!”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you but quite frankly it’s not my problem. Have a good day” the voice dsaid in a particularly cold tone before hanging up.

Baz-el stared at the phone for a moment before destroying it with one of his optic lasers. You could practically feel the rage off him before he composed himself.

“Well, at least I still have this” the Galvanic Mechamorph sighed as he looked to the Omnitrix. However, as he prepared to leave, he noticed something peculiar”.

“Was that sphere always there?” Baz-el asked before it started to shine. 

“Oh son of a-” Baz-el was suddenly engulfed in the full force of a particularly powerful electro-magnetic grenade, his form started to shift and fizzle out causing him to drop the Omnitrix.

“Tennyson?!” Baz-el shouted in confusion as the teenager quickly ran up and retrieved his Omnitrix while Rook threw an energy bolas to restrain him. 

“You’re supposed to be dead!”

“And you are supposed to be in custody” Rook stated, bringing him to the now ruined Proto-TRUK. 

Baz-el turned to Ben “For what it’s worth Tennyson, I am glad you are alright” he said as he was finally placed in the truck as if it wasn’t completely ruined.

Rook turned to Ben and asked him what they were going to do with Baz-el. Keep him in custody or release him to help with the investigation?

“No”. Ben said looking at the truck. Upon noticing Rook’s confused expression, he decided to elaborate “There’s no denying that he could be a huge asset in helping find our missing plumber and/or the guy who put a bounty on our heads. However, I don’t think they would feel the same”. 

Ben pointed to the Sotorrogians who were just conversing, seemingly just be happy that Sevenseven wasn’t still controled or dead. Rook couldn’t deny that freeing Baz-el wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do when he took into account the people on the team. 

“Quite frankly, Baz-el is more trouble than he’s worth. I released those three for three reasons. It would give us numbers we usually don’t have, they were desperate and I knew we could take them if they decided to betray us. However, if we used Baz-el to find our missing man by putting him into the internet, what’s stopping him from freezing all of our assets, hm? Besides Upgrade is already a good enough Galvanic Mechamorph.”

Rook held a look of contemplation before realizing something Ben had said.

“What if you turned into Upgrade to find the missing plumber?”

Ben looked at him with a frown “Reason number 2 on why we don’t enlist Baz-el. It’s highly unlikely that he would even be able to find our man. While it’s true Galvanic Mechamorphs can enter digital spaces, they don't have full control over it nor do they know everything there is to no about it. Finding our man’s location would be like looking for a specific needle in a field of needles. The internet is really big”.

Ben’s little rant made Rook frown with disappointment, not because they couldn’t use Baz-el but because their mystery man seemed just too elusive.

“Very well. What exactly is that you are holding?” Rook questioned, pointing to the final device Jury Rigg created. 

Ben smiled “I believe this will make our lives just a little bit easier. Remember when I told you to play dead, this is the reason why”. He pressed a button and Rook was thrilled to hear a full confession that the price on their heads was a total sham as well as Baz-el’s enraged rants. 

“You put the Thanatos plan into action, already?” he asked.

“That’s right. Now the big question is what do we do with it”. 

However, their musings were interrupted as they heard a shriek. Turning their heads, they saw that Inko had just discovered that her house had taken the brunt of the damage in their fight.  
“Oh, crap” they both said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you can all tell the meaning of the chapter title after reading it. The bounty continues though now Ben and Rook have an item that can help them fend off other bounty hunters. I'll admit not much else happened here. Ben and Rook got attacked, they defeated their assailant, got a recording and face the wrath of Inko. I picked Baz-El because he has displayed empathy in past episodes. He's still a big enough ass that he would kill someone for money but is also one of the few that would possibly display regret after finding out it was all for nothing (Eye of the Beholder, notwithstanding).


	6. Contemplation

It had been a surprisingly good day for Midoriya. No one had bullied him, aside from a couple “Shitty Deku’s”, Kacchan hadn’t bothered him and he was able to work on his notebooks in peace. 

‘There is practically nothing that could worsen my day’ Midoriya thought to himself as he tucked away his 14th notebook titled _Alien Analysis_. 

Midoriya stopped in front of his house and noticed there was a giant hole in the wall. The rest of the area wasn’t much better; a large crater had been made in the road and there were burn marks everywhere and ash covered the grass. He then noticed that Rook’s truck was still there. 

‘Weren’t they supposed to have left already?’ Midoriya thought to himself. 

He then noticed that calling it a truck was being generous. It was more accurate to call it a misshapen box on wheels. The entire front half of the truck was demolished and it looked like there had been a car crash; the doors were bent out of shape or removed entirely. There was an abundant amount of glass around the truck. 

However, the back half of the truck was in far better condition. It was so full of holes, it may have been swiss cheese. Honestly, Midoriya was surprised there even was a wall with that many holes in it. In one of the holes he could see some kind of green and black substance.

Midoriya looked back at the house, then to the truck, then he looked at the rest of the ares, then back at the house and truck a few more times before he decided to do the only thing he could think of at the moment. He channeled his inner Kacchan and yelled “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!”

“Could you keep it down?” a pompous voice said.

Midoriya looked in the truck to see the green and black blob looking at him. He might have panicked if he hadn’t taken notice of the monster being restrained by something made of blue energy keeping him to the wall. 

“A bounty hunter?” Midoriya mumbled to himself. That was the most likely assumption given the general state of the area and the fact that Ben and Rook were evidently still here. 

The blob monster looked at him before saying “I don’t suppose you could let me out of these restraints, could you?” 

Midoriya did nothing but mumble. He had gone full on analysis mode. “There’s no mouth so how does it talk? Perhaps it’s a telepath? But then how did those burn marks get everywhere? It’s possible Ben’s pyrokinetic alien could have made them but it’s generally demonstrated much more control and even then a telepath should be easy enough to capture without excessive damage’. He looked around to re-evaluate the damage. 

Baz-el looked on and sighed “I guess that’s a no”. 

“Wait, where are the first three? They have lasers that could easily create those marks and it looks like the truck got shot. Maybe while they were fighting this guy, Ben and Rook got betrayed by them. No, wait Ben said he recruited them because they were desperate for money. They might betray him later on in the future but doing it the day after they’ve been recruited serves no purpose and even if they did betray him, it’s unlikely that all three would get away especially given the speedster alien he used today” then a thought hit him. 

“What if this guy’s telepathy is so powerful he can control other people’s minds? That way, Ben would have to be fighting off four people at once, five if Rook had also been mind controled and might’ve had to turn into one of his less physical aliens to avoid being mind controlled and to lessen the damage. That’s why there’s so much exessive damage”.

Midoriya was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of clapping and turned around to see Ben and Rook looking at him with grins on their faces.

“Impressive analysis, Midoriya. Of course some of it is wrong but is is most impressive how much you got right for someone with minimal information as to what happened” Rook said, clearly impressed at Midoriya’s analysis. 

“Wait, so I was wrong?” Midoriya asked. 

“Well, a little bit” Ben said, making a pinching gesture. “Let’s start with what you got right”.

“Sevenseven was indeed taken control of by Baz-el and was the cause for most of the damage in this area. There is a possibility that the three Sotoroggians will betray us in the future “Rook glanced to Ben who shrugged “but not today. And you are correct in the assumption that if they did, there would be at least one more body in that truck. Ben also had to use a less physical alien than normal but not for the reasons you think”.

“You only said Sevenseven was taken control of but if that was the case, the damage should be much less severe. Even if the telepath could only take control of one person at a time, he should still have gone down much more easily especially with the other two bounty hunters on your side”.

“That’s because Baz-el isn’t a telepath” Ben interjected. 

“He is a Galvanic Mechamorph or in layman’s terms a being with control over technology, a technopath, if you will” Rook explained. 

“Baz-el basically hijacked Sevenseven's suit and upgraded it to the point where it was easily able to beat Rook, Sixsix and Eighteight”.

Midoriya was silent for a moment before looking up at Ben “But you were in one of your less physically adept forms so how were you able to beat him? And how does it talk with no mouth?”

Ben grinned “Why? Because I’m awesome of course. Also aliens have weird physiologies that don’t really make sense”.

Midoriya turned to look at Rook, begging for answers while Rook glared at his partner. “The actual answer is he did not. He changed back into human form and we played dead to get a recording from him. Baz-el even briefly acquired the Omnitrix. However, after getting the recording Ben struck by exploiting the Galvanic Mechamorph weakness to electro-magnetic fields”. 

‘Psychic dreams, an accelerated healing factor and now the ability to generate electro-magnetic fields. All in human form. Just what is your Quirk, Ben?” Midoriya thought as he reflected on the enigma that was before him. 

“Actually I used an electro-magnetic grenade, Jury Rigg invented” Ben said to Midoriya’s embarrassment. ‘I said that out loud?’

Trying to get his thoughts out of his embarrassment, Midoriya asked what Jury Rigg was. 

“Obviously, it’s another one of my aliens. A small, red goblin with mastery over inventing machines at quick speeds. He may not be my smartest or fastest alien but if I ever need to invent something in the middle of battle, he’s the most likely to get it done” Ben explained. 

“Interesting”. Midoriya said before taking out his notebook and making an entry for this Jury Rigg. 

‘Pyrokinesis, Super strength, whatever powers the bounty hunters had, crystal manipulation, cryokinesis, super speed and a master of invention and those were just the forms Midoriya knew about. Ben has 10 times as many forms and he probably copied the DNA of that blob monster if he didn’t already have it and that’s on top of whatever Quirks he has in his base form’ Midoriya thought to himself as he wrote his journal entry. ‘He certainly hit the jackpot’ Midoriya thought enviously. 

However, his mood was lightened when he saw his mother bossing the two Plumbers around to continue fixing the house. Apparently she had even roped the three bounty hunters into it. 

‘Well, whatever the case I’m glad he’s on my side’ Midoriya thought with a grin.

* * *

Soon after that incident, Midoriya dropped most of his stuff off at his house and went to the beach for his training with All Might. He only kept a few pens and two of his notebooks. 

“Hey All Might, can I ask you a question?" 

"Young Midoriya, please stop asking about All For One. I know you're curious but I know for a fact he's dead so he's not important". All Might seemed to be content in keeping this 'All For One' from him despite the fact that he was clearly important. Well, it's a good thing that wasn't what he was going to ask anyway.

"What do you think of Tennsyon?” Midoriya asked as he hauled a table with some garbage on it to the truck. 

All Might flinched? Must have been his imagination. 

“Well, what exactly do you mean by that young Midoriya?”

“It’s just weird. I always admired heroes because no matter what power they had, they would always use them for good or to save others. Like you All Might” Midoriya beamed.

“What exactly do you mean by that, young Midoriya?” 

“Well your Quirk isn’t inherently good and you could commit a lot of crimes with it. For example, you could kill a person in the blink of an eye. You could easily rob a bank by breaking into the vault and making off with it before the staff could even comprehend what had happened. You’re practically unstoppable All Might and yet you chose to use that power to help others though I guess part of it is because you were chosen by another hero to gain their Quirk, right?” Midoriya looked up to him expectantly. 

All Might gave a half-hearted and nervous laugh “I suppose you do have a point there, young Midoriya”.

“But Tennyson takes it to a completely different level. He’s got an entire arsenal of Quirks and aliens at his disposal and yet the one constant is that he wants to be a hero. I’m not even talking about villainy. Sure that fire alien would be great at arson but earlier today, I found out he has a master inventor at his disposal. He could probably make millions with that alien’s inventions alone but he doesn’t. He just wants to be a hero and so I was wondering what you thought about him” Midoriya explained. 

“You’ve certainly given this a lot of thought Midoriya. I even see that you’ve bought a new notebook dedicated to his powers” All Might said, holding the notebook up.

“Hey!” Midoriya said, snatching the notebook away. 

“Honestly, young Midoriya. While I do acknowledge his desire to help people, I feel he’s a lot less pure than he believes he is” All Might thought back to the previous night. 

“What do you mean by that All Might?”

‘Shit’ All Might thought as he tried to come up with an excuse. “Well, I, uh, he’s arrogant and immature. His power is certainly formidable but he has a long way to go before becoming a true hero, young Midoriya. In the two times he’s saved you, one was self-defense and the other was because he was trying to show off”.

That caused Midoriya to pause from cleaning up garbage and shoot All Might a suspicious look. “But he took a laser trying to save me”

“Uh, yes, but as we later found out, the laser was never life-threatening so can we really say that he would truly go out of his way for others if he didn’t have something to gain from it?” All Might tried to reason.

Midoriya looked like he wanted to argue before shrugging “I suppose not” though he thought back to earlier in the morning when he dropped him off at school or when he had convinced his mother to let him inherit All Might’s Quirk. 

All Might may not have been there for the former incident but he was certainly there for the latter ‘Am I missing something?’ Midoriya thought to himself. 

‘I’m probably overthinking it. I just need some time adjusting to being trained under All Might. It’ll probably go away soon enough’ Midoriya thought though he couldn’t ignore the nagging sensation he felt that something had conspired between Tennyson and All Might.

* * *

“So what exactly are we going to do with this?” Rook gestured to the device that had recorded the man’s confession. They had finally finished fixing up the Midoriya home, the truck and were back in their apartment for the time being.

“I was thinking we just put in on the Source so that the bounty hunters realize it’s a lost cause”. The Source was essentially the internet on a much grander scale. It effectively collects information all throughout the galaxy. It’s especially useful for bounty hunters as it harbors every bit of information on a potential bounty (with the exception of some exceptionally backwater planets) and served as an adequate means of communication.

“That seems like a terrible idea”

“And why is that?” Ben narrowed his eyes. 

“The fact that the bounty hunters have had to resort to Earth technology proves that this bounty was not even on the Source and they are likely are not checking it for additional information. Putting this information on the Source will likely indirectly reveal that we are stationed in Japan and therefore cause more bounty hunters to search for you. Even if the bounty hunters did find out, they may go after their client, which will be disastrous if he is indeed Hisashi Midoriya.” Rook explained in a matter-of-fact tone. 

“Hm. OK, new plan. We show this to every bounty hunter that comes our way. If they either don’t care or go after their client alone, we kick their butts, good?”. 

Rook smiled. Regardless of what they did with the recording it was bound to make their lives easier. Little did they know they were being observed by an incredibly small bug-like drone on the wall.

Meanwhile somewhere else a mysterious man was observing several recordings that had been made these past few days. Recordings of Tennyson convincing Inko to let Izuku inherit One For All. Recordings of his fights with bounty hunters. And of course recordings of the conversation that had occurred just a few minutes ago. 

The man said nothing before uttering a simple “Well, shit”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter that takes place in this time period. Honestly if I made all six chapters just one to accommodate for all that happens within 3-4 days it would come out at around 18-19k words. The pacing is going to get a bit quicker given that I want to both finish the missing plumber arc and cover the 10 month time skip in canon at the end of the season. Chapter title meaning comes from the fact that Midoriya's actually starting to think about the situation. Why is All Might keeping secrets from him, why does All Might dislike Ben even though Ben's shown to be a decent person, why does Ben want to be a hero etc. 
> 
> Like always comments, reviews and criticism is appreciated.


	7. Bakugou

The conflict did not go away as Midoriya found out. It had been three months and things were still weird. He hadn’t made any progress on using the Stone Cutter technique. Any time he did punch hard enough to cause a few cracks in the ice sculpture, he found that the ice had been reinforced the next day. He was making considerable progress with the beach but it was still progressing slow and he could tell that there was still tension between All Might and Tennyson. It couldn’t be because Tennyson was a vigilante, could it? And yes, despite his vigilante status, he continued to help save civilians and defeat villains.

Tennyson, himself was weird. He had recently gotten a couple of his vehicles from overseas and had even driven him to school a couple of times. He could tell where All Might was coming from. As he had gotten closer to Tennyson, he could tell the guy was indeed a show off. From alien forms to his car, the guy was certainly prideful. However, underneath all that pride and arrogance Midoriya could tell that Tennyson cared about him succeeding. He would often ask him how his training was going and give him advice on how to improve himself. It was encouraging but why he was so sure Midoriya would succeed is anyone’s guess.

However, perhaps the weirdest thing of all was that Kacchan hadn’t been bothering. In the past three months, the most Kacchan had done was call him a “shitty Deku” but other than that Midoriya was ignored. 

However, that all changed one day when Ben was dropping him off. 

“HEY” Kacchan shouted.

“Kacch-”

“I wasn’t talking to you Deku!” Bakugou growled. 

“Oh. Kacchan, right” Ben pointed out with a smirk on his face. Why was there a smirk on his face? Didn’t he know who he was talking to? ‘Well, I suppose Ben does have reason to be arrogant with the Omnitrix and all’ Midoriya thought. 

Bakugou for his part had been silently fuming. “I’ve told you before, my name is Katsuki Bakugou. Not fucking Kacchan, Katsuki Bakugou. What about this is so hard to fucking understand?!” 

“Did you have a reason for talking to me” Ben said disinterestedly as he looked at his phone.

This was a new experience. All his life, Bakugou had always been praised and looked up to no matter what he did. Even in situations where he didn’t really do anything, he was still praised for his awesome Quirk... and yet Tennyson couldn’t care less.

“Well, I have a question Mr. vigilante” Bakugou said with a smirk causing Ben to look up. “I want to know why you’ve taken such a keen interest in Deku here” Midoriya flinched. 

“He doesn’t have the guts to be a vigilante or a Quirk either so I want to know what you plan to do with him”

“What I plan to do with him? I plan to make sure he becomes a successful hero, of course” Ben said with a grin before moving uncomfortable close to Bakugou. “As for why, well, that’s none of your business” he said in a level tone.

Bakugou’s eyes widened as he took a step back. He quickly regained his composure and said

“But he doesn’t have a fucking Quirk! He has nothing to help him become a hero. He’s just a shitty, worthless Deku”

Ben frowned. “Well I have a plan to remedy that but you’re gonna have to beat it out of me”.

Bakugou just stood there “Name the time and place”.

“Hm?”

“I’m gonna be the very best so I’m gonna have to beat you eventually” Bakugou said, clearly planning to use Ben as a stepping stone. “So when I win, I want you to tell me everything about how you plan to make that worthless wannabe hero a real hero”. 

“Kacchan! You can’t just say something like that. Besides it’s kinda pointless because Tennyson won’t get anything if he wins”

“ARE YOU SAYING I’M GONNA LOSE, FUCKING DEKU!” Bakugou grabbed Midoriya by the shirt.

“No! But you can’t expect someone to fight if they have no reason to” Midoriya tried to reason.

“Alright you have a deal, Kacchan” Ben said with a cold glare. “I’ll pick you up later after school”.

“After school! Today?” Bakugou frowned, starting to sweat. He had hoped he’d get at least a little prep time before their fight.

“What? You say you’re gonna be the best so you should be adequately prepared to fight me. I mean I saved you from that Sludge Villain, like, three months ago so that should’ve given you more than enough time to prepare for our fight” Ben stated.

Bakugou said nothing for a while. It was true that he had done extensive research on the guy, planning to fight him eventually but today? The rational part of his mind told him it was far too soon. Unfortunately the rational part of his mind was promptly ganged up on and got the shit beat out of it when it said that.

“You’re on” Bakugou said with a vicious grin as he threw Midoriya to the ground. 

After checking that that Midoriya was alright, Ben got in his car and left thinking about the upcoming fight.

* * *

“Ready to go?” Ben asked. 

“Of course I’m ready!” Bakugou growled as he got into the car. 

“Just checking. This is your last chance to escape total pain and humiliation” Ben said snidely. 

Bakugou’s only response was a frustrated growl and thought ‘I’ll show you and then I’ll prove Deku can’t be a hero once I’ve beaten his vigilante master’.

They arrived at what looked to be the ruins of a warehouse. Bakugou threw Ben a questioning look. 

“We’re both pretty destructive. If we fight here, neither of us are going to injure other people or get sued for property damage”

Bakugou shrugged in understanding as he followed Ben to a particularly destroyed part of the warehouse. The roof wasn’t even entirely there and there were splinters of a support beam on the ground. In their hurry to start the fight, they failed to notice that they were being followed by a drone.

“Well, you may have the first move” Ben said gesturing to Bakugou.

‘What?’ “Turn into that fire monster. You don’t want to underestimate me!” Bakugou yelled. 

“Nah. I’m pretty fine underestimating you” Ben said lazily.

“Are you looking down on me?” Bakugou yelled, sparks flying from his hands.

“Yep” Ben said with a popping sound.

It was funny. Tennyson hadn’t even done anything yet. He hadn’t thrown a punch and he hadn’t even really insulted him so far. Yet that confirmation, that one word was enough to send Bakugou into a flying rage. 

“Yo-you’re gonna regret that!” Bakugou yelled, seething with rage. He let out an angry yell and fired off his most powerful explosion at Ben who was engulfed in the blast. The entire area was covered with dust or smoke. Bakugou was no longer pissed beyond all reason and started to consider the implications of what he had just done. 

He had just illegally used his Quirk to attack a defenseless civilian. Sure a vigilante but even if he tried to spin the ‘vigilante’ story, he hadn’t bothered calling the authorities. He’d gotten into a car with the vigilante without telling anyone but Deku. Worthless, shitty Deku. If he had caused serious bodily harm to Tennyson or worse, killed him, he could be facing serious jail time and then he could kiss his dreams of becoming the number 1 hero good bye. 

‘Did they plan this?’ Bakugou thought as he took a step closer to try and see how much damage he’d done to Tennyson. 

“Tennyson?” Bakugou called out, his voice betraying the uncertainty he felt. 

As the dust settled, Bakugou braced himself for the worst. ‘Oh shit!’ Bakugou thought. His eyes going wide. There was a body wearing Tennyson’s jacket. It just lay there unmoving. Bakugou got closer to Tennyson to see what the damage was. 

“Tennyson?” Bakugou could hear his heart beating in his throat. The walls had started closing in. His breathing started getting faster and more erratic. “Tennyson?!” Bakugou yelled as he grabbed the body and turned it over to inspect the damage... Only there was no damage. It was a mannequin wearing a brown wig and Tennyson’s jacket.

“What the f-” Bakugou started bit was interrupted by three jabs to his face in rapid succession. 

Bakugou gripped his nose and noticed he was bleeding.

“The fuck?!” Bakugou shouted before being tripped up. He felt a weight around his neck. He tried to let out explosions but he was in a choke hold and his assailant held on harder. Bakugou couldn’t focus. He didn’t know what to do and he was going to pass out! His vision blurred and the last thing Bakugou heard was “I win” in a cold, sinister tone.

* * *

When Bakugou woke up, he was greeted by the sight of Tennyson leaning against the wall, on his phone.

“Oh. You’re awake” he said in a bored tone.

“... You fucking cheated” Bakugou growled.

“No. I gave you a fighting chance”

“You tricked me!”

“... which is a lot better than using my aliens to curbstomp you. The first form you saw easily absorbed the fire from your blasts. What exactly was your plan if I did use him? XLR8 could simply dodge all of your moves and trap you in a tornado. Several other forms would just be able shrug off your blasts” Ben explained as he walked closer to him.

“After all, if a Quirkless teenager could shrug off one of your strongest blasts, what could you possibly do against beings that can actually manipulate, dodge or resist fire attacks, hm?” Ben asked before flicking Bakugou in the forehead. 

Bakugou wanted to yell but unfortunately he found himself agreeing with the vigilante’s evaluation. Despite how cheap his victory was, a win was a win and Bakugou knew he stood no chance against any of Tennyson’s forms. Honestly he should’ve expected the more pragmatic approach. After all villains don’t fight fair, why would a vigilante?

“Alright, come on” Ben said as he started walking to the car.

However, just as he was about to get to it, a red laser fired out and caused the car to explode 

“My car!” Ben exclaimed in anguish before mumbling something along the lines of “Now I know how Kevin feels”. 

Ben turned to see his attacker; a tall, thin, white man with red eyes, black stripes and a fin on his head donned in black and gray skeletal armor. 

“Well it’s been a while, hasn’t it Psyphon? I mean we’ve been looking all over for you for the past three months and you were nowhere to be found” Ben’s eyes narrowed. 

“I get that you have someone very special to you in your life now, so why don’t you tell me more about him after I kick your ass”. 

Psyphon merely laughed. “What gall, Tennyson. You have no idea just what situation you’re in, do you?”

“Care to enlighten me?” Ben asked in a bored tone as he flicked through the possible forms on his Omnitrix.

“Why, look around” Psyphon gestured to the surrounding area, which Bakugou saw was filled with all types of villains. Bakugou counted at least 12 different people, wielding weapons of some kind. Some were even flying on jetpacks. Bakugou had to admit they were at a disadvantage. 

“Look Tennyson, I know you think you’re some super awesome vigilante or something but we can’t win with these numbers. Just give them what they want and hopefully they’ll let us go” Bakugou said nervously. He was useless against the Sludge Villain and he failed to beat a single vigilante, there was no fucking way he was going to be able to help. 

“That’s gonna be kinda difficult, given that what they want is my death.” Ben said.

Bakugou tried to call the police but his eyes widened when he found there was no service on his phone. ‘Oh shit. I am going to fucking die here, aren’t I’

“As you see, I’ve got the advantage in numbers and don’t even think about calling your partner. This entire area is surrounded by an energy field preventing your communications systems from working” Psyphon grinned like a depraved lunatic.

“I have as good as won Tennyson!” he proclaimed with glee. 

“We’ll see what Way Big has to say about that” Ben grinned before slamming his hand down on the Omnitrix. 

Ben was engulfed in a flash of light. Once the light died down, it was clear he had transformed into... a large green, plant-like man with a yellow and red head. 

Ben sighed “Or Swampfire. Swampfire’s good too”. 

“Uh, Tennyson how exactly is that fucking form going to help us?” 

“You of all people should’ve realised that it’s never a good idea to underestimate me” Swampfire frowned. 

Psyphon seemed to agree because immediately afterward he ordered his gang of villains to “FIRE!”

What followed was that Swampfire was brutally torn apart by the gang’s laser weapons. An arm here, a chunk of plant there and his head was way behind him.

Bakugou’s breath hitched but tried to maintain his composure. 

“OK, you idiots got what you wanted so just leave. I mean I’m just a kid so there’s really no need to kill me, right?” Bakugou tried to reason.

Psyphon put his hand to his chin and said “True” before turning around.

However, before Bakugou could celebrate Psyphon told his gang to “kill the brat anyway”. 

‘Shit’ Bakugou felt like crying but if he was going to die anyway, he could at least die fighting. Letting out a yell, he flew towards Psyphon. 

“If you bastards think I’m just gonna sit here and let you fucking kill me, you’ve got another thing coming!” 

Bakugou let out one of his most powerful explosions only for Psyphon to block it with a forcefield.

‘Again?!’ Bakugou thought incredulously. ‘Well when all else fails try try again’. Of course Bakugou must not have realised there was an opposite saying ‘The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again’.

However, as Psyphon’s goons fired at Bakugou, they failed to take into account his position. Being right in front of Psyphon they were also firing at their boss who was trying to keep his forcefields up.

“Not at me you idiots!” Psyphon exclaimed. 

Bakugou, who had nimbly dodged the lasers, took this opportunity to fly right above Psyphon’s forcefield and let out another explosion of similar power to the first. The forcefield broke under all the pressure and Psyphon fell. His fin was bleeding. 

Bakugou smirked before realising he was still surrounded, outgunned and way out of his league. Upon seeing that the villains had all their guns pointed at him, Bakugou grabbed their leader and placed his hand to Psyphon’s head. 

“Nobody fucking move or your leader’s head goes Ka-blam!” Bakugou tried to keep up the tough guy persona but inside fatigue was already setting in. He likely only had one or two explosions left in him. His only hope of survival was for him to hold their leader hostage and for his goons to care enough about him not to fire.

However before anyone could do anything, Psyphon growled, impaled the boy with his claws and fired out a red energy beam to send him flying. 

“I’ll admit you are certainly powerful. You could be a problem” Psyphon growled. He fired red energy beams from his eyes. 

Bakugou could do nothing and braced for the pain but was surprised when he found himself protected by large green vines. 

Psyphon’s eyes widened in surprise and he was so off guard he allowed himself to be hit by a burst of fire.

“Tennyson!” Psyphon growled as he fell. When he turned to see where Tennyson was, he found himself staring at not one but six Methanosians though one was clearly larger than the rest. 

“Looks like we have a winner! Enjoy it while it lasts” Swampfire said in a sinister tone before turning to his new allies. “Take out the rest of Psyphon’s gang. Leave Psyphon to me”. 

The five Methanosians charged at Psyphon’s gang, flinging fireballs at the villains. Flames clashed with lasers but despite the overall numbers advantage for the villains, Ben’s allies had an advantage of their own. Regeneration. 

Whenever the villains succeeded at removing a limb from Ben’s minions or decapitating them, the minions would simply regenerate from the wound.

Psyphon, meanwhile was fighting Ben and was putting up a much better fight. While Swampfire regenerated from any wound, Psyphon’s forcefields and generally levitation made it difficult getting in a clean hit. 

Swampfire was clearly getting annoyed at Psyphon’s ability to dodge or block his strikes. Putting both hands together, Swampfire generated a massive flamethrower and engulfed Psyphon’s forcefield in flames. 

Psyphon merely grinned as he successfully blocked it but was shocked to find vines had captured him by the foot.

“What?!” Psyphon yelled as Swampfire caused the vines to violently throw him to the ground, leaving a crater. 

Psyphon got up to call to his minions but looked to see that they had already been defeated by the inferior Methanosians... who were currently walking towards him. 

Psyphon growled “Why are you all so incompetent?!” before generating enough energy to vaporise them. Swampfire however, was completely unharmed. 

“Well, it’s clear I can’t defeat you in a fair fight Tennyson” Psyphon grinned “But you know me well enough to know that I don’t fight fair”. 

Psyphon shot past him and grabbed a rifle before firing his red energy beams at Swampfire who blocked them with his flamethrowers. Unfortunately that left him wide open for a blast from Psyphon’s rifle.

Swampfire let out a yell of pain and went to shoot Psyphon with a jet of fire only to realise he couldn’t. 

“What did you do?!” Swampfire asked.

Psyphon merely smirked “Last year, I tested out my exciter beam on you. A beam that sent your nerves out of control. Think of this device as the opposite. You won’t be firing off any more fire Tennyson and just like that I’ve won”. Psyphon proceeded to laugh and gloat but was stopped by a punch to the face. 

“I wouldn’t call it an exact opposite. I can still move, after all” Swampfire smirked before summoning a wall of vines. Psyphon merely destroyed them with his lasers but Swampfire took that opportunity to grab him and throw him into the ground. 

Psyphon tried to summon his forcefield but discovered the device had been broken in their fight as it crackled with electricity. Psyphon merely changed a setting on the rifle and fired it at Swampfire. When the beam hit, his limbs started contorting in all sorts of ways. Swampfire had no choice but to fall down. 

“Now I only need to wait for the Omnitrix to time out and you’re as good as dead, Tennyson” Psyphon made a vicious smirk. 

“Agh. Bakugou! Listen to me. I need you to create the biggest, most powerful explosion you can but only after my signal. Can I count on you?” 

Bakugou’s eyes widened. All throughout the fight, he’d been practically useless. He’d been just as worthless as Deku and yet Tennyson was counting on him. There was a villain that needed to be defeated. Heroes always win, right? 

“Yeah”.

“Great”. Swampfire released an oddly coloured gas from his body.

Psyphon immediately realized what he was doing “I’m aware of your species ability to generate methane but it won’t work!” he said as he prepared to fire at Bakugou.

“No you don’t!” Swampfire yells, summoning a small vine to trip Psyphon up and cause him to miss the blast. 

“NOW!” 

Bakugou lets loose the most powerful blast he can muster once he’s sparked the methane, the entire area is consumed by flames. Bakugou is left untouched by the explosion thanks to a wall of vines grabbing him and throwing him into the air. Those same vines catch him when he falls.

Once he’s made sure he’s ok, he tooks a good look at the area before him. Everything is covered in ash and anything that was directly hit by the explosion was outright obliterated. There even seemed to be a drone in the wreckage. In the center of it all is Tennyson whose in his human form, nursing the injuries on his arms with pieces of his jacket and checking his phone. Psyphon had been completely knocked out, had some blue energy rope around his body. Both had parts of their bodies charred black.

“Looks like the blast took out the energy field. I’m gonna go invade this guy’s mind so you can do whatever” Tennyson looked at him before pressing the Omnitrix.

“You’re gonna fucking what?!” Bakugou exclaimed but Ben had already turned himself into a green and blue fairy with pixie wings.

Bakugou could only look on incredulously. The vigilante who has been posing as a hero for the past three months, the guy who saved him from the sludge villain and the person who not only beat him Quirkless but also saved his life tonight was now a fairy wearing a skirt.

Suddenly the fairy turned into green dust and entered Psyphon’s forehead.

* * *

“Don’t have much time. I’m just gonna have to get what I came for and get out” the fairy known as Pesky Dust said as he flew around Psyphon’s mind. 

Soon enough Pesky Dust found himself flying through Psyphon’s memories; failed gang attempts, failed attempts on his life etc. When suddenly he bumped into something. 

A large behemoth of a man with green skin and a beard made of tentacles. Red veins covered his body and his armor seemed to double as life support... Vilgax. Judging by his armor and enhancement, this must’ve been the first time Psyphon met the galactic conqueror. 

The behemoth roared at him and went for a punch. Pesky Dust merely dodged and glowed with green energy, forcing the memory away.

“Sorrrry but I’m nearly out of time and I don’t need to waste any of it beating you Vilgax” Pesky Dust said as he continued flying through Psyphon’s mind “Besides we don’t need to add a third fight in a single chapter”. 

Finally Pesky Dust found what he was looking for, Psyphon’s consciousness. He was merely standing on a desolate planet but before he could make a move, the Omnitrix started to beep. 

“Crrrap! Actually given who I’m dealing with, it should be quite easy to get what I’m looking forrr” Pesky Dust mischievously grinned before waving his hand into the air to change the dream.

The dream changed and Psyphon was on his knees. “Lord Vilgax!” he exclaimed.

“Psyphon!” Vilgax grabbed Psyphon by the neck and threw him into the ground, putting his foot onto the gang leader’s chest.

“Where is the man who put the bounty on Tennyson?! Only I get to kill the boy and if someone else gets the Omnitrix, it’ll put a dent in my plans... and we wouldn’t want that to happen, would we?” Vilgax knelt down to glare at Psyphon, his eyes practically glowing with danger.

“N-n-no Lord Vilgax! Adrian Smith’s in Kamino Ward”.

Pesky Dust’s eyes widened. “Adrian Smith but he’s supposed to be dead” and it was at that moment he had to leave Psyphon’s head judging by the rapid beeping of the Omnitrix and the flashing red colour.

Not a second too soon as the moment he appeared back in the real world, he timed out.

* * *

“Phew, that was a close one. I don’t want to imagine what would happen if I timed out in there” Ben sighed in relief as he looked at Bakugou who was staring at him. 

“What did you do?” Bakugou asked after a moment of silence. 

“Exactly as I said; I used Pesky Dust to invade Psyphon’s mind and... retrieve some information I need”.

“Not exactly heroic behaviour” Bakugou huffed. 

Ben hummed “Can’t really disagree with you there but unfortunately the world isn’t so black and white. Sometimes have to do immoral actions to achieve the best result”. 

“All Might never compromises”

“I highly doubt that. For example, this guy likely wouldn’t have told me anything anyway so the only solution was to invade his privacy. One criminal’s privacy for information that could save lives? Not a bad trade”.

Bakugou was stunned. How someone could aspire to be a hero and yet hold such immoral ideals? The idea baffled him. There had to be a different way, right? Heroes didn’t compromise their ideals for anything or anyone! All there was to it was that they always won and villains always lost.

However, before he could voice his complaints, he was greeted with the sight of Tennyson grinning at him “But anyway I think it’s about time we got you home”.

“Your car’s totaled, how the fuck do you expect to get me home?” Bakugou growled.

Ben merely grinned and that was how he found himself in a bridal position clinging for dear life as Tennyson’s speedster form dropped him off. 

“Well, that’s that” Ben said as he returned to the abandoned warehouse. He pulled out his phone to call Rook. It wasn’t even that late and he was already feeling tired but Rook needed to know what he found out.

“Listen Rook, I just had a run-in with Psyphon and his goons at the abandoned warehouse. I easily dealt with the situation but you won’t believe what I found out. I can’t really say it over the phone so come soon”.

Having finished his call he looked up to see that he was surrounded by a knockout gas.

Ben gave an unimpressed expression and merely said “Of course” before blacking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the chapter title is pretty obvious. This chapter revolves entirely around Bakugou even in the scene from Midoriya's perspective, it's pretty clear that it's about Bakugou.
> 
> Now, this chapter was interesting to write because I wanted to write a chapter where Bakugou gets completely and utterly humiliated without losing the hyper-competent badass middle schooler that he is in canon. The original draft was just him getting the crap beat out of him by Ben's aliens but that was in clear breach of the latter part. However, then I realized that Ben's base form can take a beating. Seriously in one episode he tanks being blasted by Aggregor's lasers into a wall and has a piece of the ceiling fall on him into a pit and he's no worse for wear so I'm pretty confident that he could tank one of Bakugou's explosions. Not only is it humiliating to lose to a vigilante who didn't even use his "Quirk" but he learns a valuable lesson of underestimating people. Of course I still had to make him badass, which is where the Psyphon fight came in.
> 
> Now as for the Swampfire duplication trick. I feel that despite Swampfire gaining a more powerful form in Omniverse, the show doesn't really make use of his potential. I figured that since AF Swampfire could survive being shredded to bits, it would be a natural progression for Swampfire's more powerful form to take his healing factor to the next level, which is where the minions come in. For example if a person can regenerate from a single cell, what it stopping that person from creating a veritable army of people just by sending their cells everywhere. Of course Swampfire isn't that powerful but I do feel he could achieve something to the same affect. Hopefully it doesn't come across as too ass-pully.


	8. Necessary Evil

Midoriya woke up the next day and had a gut feeling that something was wrong. Of course it wasn’t immediately apparent so he initially thought nothing of it. 

Then Rook showed up days before he was meant to to “assess his training”. The real reason was because Ben had gone missing. He had left a message to Rook, which allowed him to find an entire gang of alien criminals but no Ben. 

Izuku tried to reason that he’d just gone to do some vigilantism in the late night and had probably fallen asleep somewhere but Rook seemed unconvinced. However, Izuku did tell him that Ben fought Kacchan after school and would ask him if he knew anything. 

Rook thanked him before continuing his search with the bounty hunters. However, before he left he congratulated Izuku on his progress with Stone Cutter. Apparently he judged from the large chunks of ice next to the pillar that he was well on his way to learning the technique. Izuku hoped he was right. The sooner he developed Stone Cutter, the more time he had to train with it, which would mean he wasn’t going to be as reliant on One For All for the Entrance Exam.

However, Izuku couldn’t help the feeling of dread starting to sink in. If Ben had been abducted, what were the chances that Kacchan was left unscathed? The truth was that even if Kacchan had won, he would be left exhausted thanks to the fight and wouldn’t have been able to do anything. He prayed to whatever god there was that Kacchan was all right.

And it seemed his prayers were answered because Kacchan showed up to school like nothing was wrong. However, any lingering dread was replaced with outright fear as Kacchan started to stalk up to him. Like so many times before, Izuku felt like he was in a lion’s den and he was about to be devoured. 

Izuku closed his eyes and hoped that Kacchan wasn’t too pissed at him for whatever arbitrary reason and that he would get it over with.

“Deku. We need to talk.” Kacchan growled. 

‘Huh?’ Kacchan didn’t do talk, especially not with him. Usually he’d be caught up in his own praise and ignore everyone else. If he did talk it was with his fists.

Izuku quickly recovered “Oh, Kacchan. I take it you easily won your fight”.

Bakugou slammed his fist into the wall next to Izuku’s head.

“Shut up you damn nerd! Your vigilante friend didn’t even need to transform to beat me. As much as it pains me to admit it, I was way out of my fucking league”. 

‘Kacchan’s admitting defeat? This is certainly a new experience’ Midoriya thought. 

Bakugou grabbed him and dragged him to behind the school’s library so that they could talk without risk of anyone overhearing him. 

“What’s so special about you?” Bakugou asked with a glare.

“Huh?!”

“I mean you say the first time you met the guy was the same time I met him” Bakugou said, carefully ignoring the Sludge Villain incident.

“Yet, you seem far more familiar with him than I am and he clearly wants you to be a hero. The guy even said you were doing some special training to make you one. Deku. What. Did. He. Mean?” Bakugou growled. 

Izuku said nothing for a while, trying to figure out how much he could safely reveal to his childhood friend. 

“Well, his partner is essentially Quirkless yet he has a special technique that works like one thanks to his ki. And so Ben got his partner to train me in ki to help me learn the technique myself” 

Bakugou gripped his hair with his hands “The bastard has a partner?!”

“Um yes b-”

“I don’t care Deku. Why are you friends with a vigilante who’s clearly trying to play hero despite not being one?”

“I-I-I mean. Just Because he’s not a hero legally doesn’t mean h-he can’t be one Kacchan. He certainly has the power- he beat you Quirkless, right?” 

Bakugou let out an explosion “DON’T REMIND ME, YOU DAMN NERD!”

Bakugou calmed his composure. “And yeah, I’ll admit he has power but what he does with it is another thing entirely”.

“What do you mean by that Kacchan?”

“Look after our fight, we got attacked by a gang of criminals with mutation Quirks. It was close but me and him eventually won” Bakugou paused while Izuku stared at him intently, silently begging him to finish the story.

“The guy’s crappy car got demolished” Kacchan said with a smirk. “Anyway after the fight was over, the leader apparently had some information he needed and instead of handing him to the authorities to retrieve it he turned into some fairy thing and I quote “invaded his mind””

“Interesting” Izuku commented as he took out his notebook. “So he has an alien that can invade people’s minds. Such a power would definitely be useful for interrogation and time-sensitive missions but does he have control over the mindscape or is he merely inside the victim’s mind. If it’s the latter, than the form’s usefulness decreases immensely. I wonder, how fast he can collect information though Ben did tell me once that he only has approximately 10-15 minutes for a form. Ergo the form must have some form of enhanced speed if he doesn’t have any form of mental manipulation. Kacchan, did he call out the form’s name by any chance?”

Bakugou gave Izuku a weird expression, clearing not expecting the reaction he received.

“What does the form’s name even matter? Did you even fucking hear what I said Shitty Deku? The guy invaded a person’s mind without their consent. How is this not a big deal for you?” Bakugou asked, incredulous at Izuku’s fascination of such an immoral power. 

“Yes but I don’t see how it matters, Kacchan” Izuku tilted his head curious as to what point Kacchan was driving at. 

“How it fucking matter-”

“The Pro Hero Dreamwalker also has such a power and also uses it for interrogation purposes just like Tennyson did, last night. Tell me Kacchan, are you aware of the Ticking Time Bomb scenario?”

Bakugou huffed “Of course. There’s a bomb that will go off in a set amount of time and once it does, it’ll kill millions of people. The question is whether or not it’s ok to torture people to get the location of the bomb before it explodes”.

Izuku smiled “Right. So what exactly would you do in that situation, Kacchan?”

“Huh. I’d beat the location out of them, of course” Bakugou said with a prideful grin on his face.

“Interesting”

“What?”

“Well, it’s just there is several things wrong with your approach”

Bakugou glared and growled “Whatever the fuck do you mean, Deku?” Smoke was coming off his hands as they prepared to let loose an explosion.

“Well the first problem is that we assume the terrorist is telling the truth. He could lead you on a wild goose chase for all you know. After all, do you really expect a terrorist to tell the truth to someone who resorted to torture?”

“If it’ll stop the beatings, yeah I do expect them to tell the truth. They’ll be too in pain to think up a convincing lie”

“But you’re forgetting the time limit. The terrorist merely has to endure until the bomb goes off and we don’t know when it does” Midoriya put his hand to his chin “Besides the terrorist was likely trained to endure the torture”

Bakugou growled “What’s. Your. point. Deku” clearly unhappy at a shitty Deku taking apart his plan. 

“Well if you had the power to invade a person’s mind, you wouldn’t need to torture the terrorist. It’s a lot safer than trusting the guy to tell the truth and more efficient as we clearly get the location of the bomb without having to rely on the terrorist’s breaking point”. 

Midoriya continued talking but Bakugou wasn’t listening. Something shifted in Bakugou’s mind. An understanding. He sure as shit didn’t agree with Tennyson’s methods, after all if you were powerful enough you could do anything in the world, but he could understand why someone who couldn’t or didn’t rely on brute force would take that option.

“Because of this, Dreamwalker has been instrumental in the dismantling of criminal organisations such as the Yakuza”.

Apparently Deku had shifted onto fanboying about some lame-ass hero who wasn’t even in the Top 100. Bakugou turned to walk away.

“Oh Kacchan! When was the last time you saw Tennyson?”

“Huh?”

“Well earlier this morning, his partner came up to me because he’s apparently gone missing so I was just wondering if you had any information that could help” Izuku muttered while twiddling his fingers.

“The last time I saw him was when he dropped me off and that’s it”

“Hold on but you said his car was destroyed so how did he drop you off?”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, SHITTY DEKU!” Bakugou yelled, letting out an explosion towards him. 

Once he recovered, Izuku merely concluded that Kacchan was a dead end. Although he was glad his childhood friend was safe, he couldn’t help but wonder where the vigilante with the alien watch went.

* * *

“Uh, where am I?” Ben asked, with his head on something soft. 

“You’re at U.A. High” a female voice said above him.

Ben opened his eyes to see a woman’s face with what was essentially a mane of black hair behind her. However, judging from his positioning, he should be- oh crap.

Ben quickly got off the woman’s lap with a furious blush on his face. 

“Look ma’am, I’m sure you’re perfectly nice and-”

“Did you just call me ma’am?!” the woman yelled, making a vicious expression with red eyes and a fiery background behind her as if she was some kinda anime character. 

“Oh no”.

“And to think, you had such a great youthful spirit. I’m going to have to punish you for that slip-up” the woman gave him a vicious smile. 

“Please no”. 

“That’s enough Kayama!” a cheerful, high-pitched voice interjected. 

Both occupants of the room turned to the new voice, a large mouse-dog-bear thing accompanied by a homeless man wearing a large scarf. 

“Greetings Mr. Tennyson! I am Principal Nezu of U.A High School, this is Shota Aizawa and-” the mammal was cut off by a large yellow beam shooting across the room and covering him.   
“DNA sample collected” the Omnitrix said. 

“Been a while since it’s done that” Ben remarked before noticing everyone had their attention to him. “Uh, sorry.” 

“Yes, well as I was saying you’ve already met Nemuri Kayama. I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here” Nezu smile.

“Not really. I can tell you’re Pros and you’re probably going to hand me over to the authorities”

“Actually-”

“Well I’m not going to make it that easy!” Ben slammed his hand on the Omnitrix and turned into a blue, multi-limbed monkey. 

Spidermonkey let out a string of web to trap the three Pros and escaped through the open window in Nezu’s office. 

“Should we go after him?!” Aizawa asked the principal.

“Oh, there won’t be any need, Aizawa. Why do you think I left that window open for him to escape? I think we should just wait until he gets back, don’t you?” Nezu explained causing Aizawa to shrug.

* * *

“U.A, huh. Wasn’t that the school Midoriya wanted to go to? Well I suppose it couldn’t hurt to take a look around”. 

Unfortunately Spidermonkey had to dodge a rally of bullets. He turned to see where the bullets came from but to his amazement it seemed, the bullets were changing their trajectory easily. 

“Oh that’s so cool and- oh” Spidermonkey nimbly dodged the homing bullets. 

“Got to escape fast” Spidermonkey said as he shot a trail of web at a building. He saw a city in that direction and decided to head in that direction. Unfortunately one of the bullets managed to slice through it causing Spidermonkey to fall to the ground. 

It seemed this was one of the school facilities as he landed in a pile of students. Spidermonkey gave a sheepish grin and yelled “Don’t mind me!” before preparing to take off again. However he found that he had been partially encased in concrete.

“Principal Nezu has informed me that a certain vigilante escaped from his office” a cement block with limbs said. “Try as you might, you won’t escape.” 

Spidermonkey merely punched through the concrete in response.

“Hm. Students, we have a vigilante on the loose. You have your provisional licenses and are allowed to use your Quirks. Think of this as yet another exercise in your journey to becoming Pros” the cement man said.

The class let out a big “YEAH” and proceeded to bombard Spidermonkey with Quirks. 

“Crap!” Spidermonkey said as he dodged jets of fire, pieces of rubble and a jet of water that sliced through the building behind him. 

Just when he felt he had dodged the worst of it, he felt tentacles around his legs. Looking up he saw a black haired student in a hood with the most depressed expression you could imagine. It’s like he wasn’t even trying, fully expecting someone else to take the shot.

“You have got to be kidding me” Spidermonkey said in a deadpan tone as he looked up. Yep, there was a girl levitating in the air firing spiral energy beams at him. Fortunately they were sooo slow that he was easily able to release himself from the tentacles and dodge them. Unfortunately that left him wide open to a punch that appeared in thin air. 

“Well, looks like it’s end of the line, vigilante” a blond and very plain looking student said. 

“Uh, sure but where are your clothes?!”

“Whoops!” the student said before disappearing into the ground and reappearing where his pants where. 

“Sorry about that. But you can’t honestly expect to defeat us, right” the student said but he didn’t seem to be arrogant. He seemed to just be enjoying himself. 

“Actually I do” Spidermonkey said before webbing the student. Predictably he disappeared but at least he got the dejected looking guy and the blue-haired girl who cried out in protest. 

Suddenly Spidermonkey felt something in his mind but before he could dodge he was on the receiving end of the student’s punch.

“POWER!” 

“C’mon, it wasn’t that powerful” Spidermonkey said, getting up from the ground. 

The student disappeared and reappeared but the presence in Spidermonkey’s mind alerted him to the punches and he was able to dodge them repeatedly. However, when he went to counter-attack his punch went straight through the boy’s gut.

“Oh intangibility, of course” Spidermonkey remarked putting one of his hands to his head.

“Impressive. You figured out my Quirk but it won’t help you”.

“No, you’re right. If I keep using Spidermonkey, all I’ll be doing is monkeying around” he remarked causing a collective groan around them. Right there was also a whole class. Why weren’t they helping and just letting this guy do all the work? Questions for later.

“However, I’ve got someone who can” Spidermonkey said pressing the Omnitrix on his chest. 

The vigilante was engulfed in a flash of green light and his form was no longer that of a blue monkey but of a blue humanoid moth with a lean build. Not an incredibly muscular one because that would be stupid. 

“Big Chill!” the moth remarked. “First things first, let’s make sure none of your classmates can help you”.

Big Chill placed both hands to the ground and created a gigantic wall of ice separating the student from his classmates. The student wasn’t dissuaded though and disappeared again. However just as the punch was about to connect, Big Chill’s form turned into a blue shadow and gripped the boys arm, before throwing him.

“Woah. You can touch me while intangible? That’s awesome but it still won’t beat me I’m afraid” the student replied. 

“I’m Togata Mirio by the way”

“Ben Tennyson”

And so what ensued was a battle of intangible creatures. However, even Ben had to admit that Big Chill was in for a tough fight. True, he could perceive and counter Mirio but it went two ways. Just from Mirio’s build, he could tell that he had more striking strength and durability than Big Chill who was a glass cannon that relied on his ice powers more than anything. 

‘I’m going to have to play dirty if I want to win this fight’ Ben thought as Big Chill slashed Mirio with his claws after Mirio punched him in the gut.

Big Chill let out a breath of cold air, which Mirio dodged but practically froze the surrounding area. Big Chill placed both hands on the ground and started manipulating the ice into complex structures before fading into the ground to dodge one of Mirio’s hits. 

Unfortunately, when he reappeared, Mirio was waiting for him and threw him into one of his structure but not before Big Chill let out a blast of cold air. 

Mirio dodged again but Big Chill didn’t need to hit him to win and created more structures. When Mirio appeared, it was quite clear he was suffering from the effects of the battle just as much as he was.

Mirio was shivering and his hands hand started turning blue just from grabbing Big Chill. 

“Fe-fe-fear not! I-I c-c-can st-st-still fight!” Mirio exclaimed despite it being abundantly clear that he was at the end of his rope.

“You pretty obviously can’t Mirio. You should take a break to chill out” Big Chill said earning himself more groans from behind the wall. Big Chill placed his hands to the ground and created another ice structure beneath Mirio who dodged and reappeared but his reactions had slowed so he was unable to react in time for the sculpture toppling on both him and Big Chill. 

Big Chill was still standing, Mirio was not. Ben turned into Heatblast to warm him up and after making sure Mirio was ok he said “I told you I’d defeat you. Now who’s next?”

Unfortunately the Omnitrix started beeping and timed out and if things couldn’t get any worse, the wall of ice crumbled revealing an entire class full of students ready to capture him.

“Crap” Ben said before being hauled away to Nezu’s office.

* * *

When he finally got there, he was greeted with the sight of Nezu’s smug smirk. 

“Why hello again, Mr Tennyson!” Nezu said in that obnoxiously cheerful voice of his. “I take it you enjoyed your fight with Mirio?”

“How could you possibly know that?!” Ben asked incredulously.

“I must admit I’m disappointed, Mr Tennyson” Nezu frowned. “You were easily able to figure out Mirio’s Quirk yet mine stumped you”.

“Uh, my hand phased through him, what else would it be?” 

“You’d be surprised at how many people are unable to guess what it truly is, even or maybe especially after witnessing what he can do with it. Most people assume it’s a teleportation Quirk rather than an intangibility Quirk” Nezu explained, his smile never faltering. 

“Would you care to take a gander at my Quirk?”

“Other than being a giant rat?” 

Nezu merely smiled at him causing Ben to sigh “I dunno, precognition? You clearly knew what I was going to do if that sniper was any indication and you knew I was going to fight Mirio so you definitely predicted my actions”

“Close, Mr Tennyson! My Quirk is High Specs. It allows me to have intelligence far surpassing that of humans and because of it I can-

“Predict exactly what I was going to do, where and when. That’s actually really cool” Ben said.

“Hm. But if I’m not mistaken, you have several forms that also allow for super intelligence” Nezu inquired.

“Yeah but never to that degree. Brainstorm also possesses a similar psuedo-precognition but it’s on a much smaller scale and I’ve never really bothered with Gray Matter. I’m usually just trying not to get killed when I use him” Ben explained.

“Interesting, well Mr. Tennyson the reason I called you here before you tried your futile attempt at escape...”

Ben shrank in his seat with a blush on his face. 

“... was to offer you a job at U.A High!”

“What?!” Ben and the other teachers exclaimed. Clearly Ben wasn’t the only one unsuspecting of Nezu’s surprise. Had he even told anyone?

“Look, I appreciate the offer but I’m no teacher. Ask literally anyone who knows me and I already have a job”

“Oh yes, as a Plumber I’m aware” Nezu said causing the teachers to look at Ben in confusion.

Ben noticing this merely turned to the rest of the staff and said “Space cop” as if that explained anything.

After a brief pause Aizawa spoke up “Sir, while I do see the value in having a vigilante around there is no way he could possibly teach our classes even if we relegated him to purely combat”.

“Think of the public’s opinion of the school if they found out we hired a vigilante” Midnight tried to reason.

“On top of that, the students have already met the vigilante and who knows what they will do if they find out he’s working here all of a sudden” Cementoss added.

“Enough!” Nezu stated in a decisive tone ceasing all argument. “I am well aware of the risks but we can spin Tennyson’s presence to improve our public image. If the police have failed to arrest him after all this time, imagine what good news it will be to hear that the top hero school in the country has him in their custody and is training him to stop his vigilante ways and become a Pro. The students will be fine after a brief adjustment period and besides I wasn’t planning on making him a teacher” Nezu smirked. 

“You weren’t?”

“Oh no, Mr Tennyson. Besides maybe assisting some of the classes, your Omnitrix is an asset on it’s own. We could have you train with the students to increase their ability to combat versatile foes but that is merely a drop in the bucket of possibilities you present. Swampfire could create miniature forests and Jury Rigg would undoubtedly help the Support department.”.

“How do you-”

Nezu pressed a button showing camera footage of all of Ben’s exploits in the past three months... including the night before, his fights with Bakugou and Psyphon.

Ben merely gaped in response. He’d been spied on! On the one hand, he was offended that this mouse-bear-dog-thing had invaded his privacy. On the other hand, it was pretty awesome that someone thought he was worth spying on. The guy truly did have super intelligence. 

“In truth Mr. Tennyson, I want you to increase the security of our school. As you know All Might’s power is fading hence his choice of successor and I fear that once he does Hero Society will start to crumble and start a new era of crime. Also you could continue your vigilante ways, at night” Nezu said seriously. 

Nezu motioned for the other teachers to leave the room before saying in a whisper “I know you have gotten close to Izuku Midoriya. You want him to succeed to lure out Hisashi Midoriya. This job will help you keep an eye on him”.

Ben merely turned to him with a stony expression on his face “Sorry but the information I found out last night shows that I may not actually have to find Midoriya. Look I appreciate the offer but in 6-7 months the kid’s gonna be a badass. He’ll have Rook’s training and All Might’s Quirk and quite frankly I could be saving other people than watch over a kid who will be able to take care of himself” Ben turned to leave.

‘Tch. Looks like I’ll have to use Plan B’ Nezu thought. 

“But Mr. Tennyson, that’s not a guarantee and if the great Ben 10 can’t protect my school, I’m going to fear for the student’s safety and just think of all the good publicity you'll get by protecting the country's top hero school” Nezu said in the most convincing depressed voice he could muster.

Ben paused and looked at Nezu, analysing him.

“I know what you’re doing”. 

“Do you now?”

“Nezu, you’re appealing to my ego to try and convince me to take the job”.

“Oh” Nezu said with an amused grin on his face.

“Well, it’s not going to work”

“Oh bother. Fine then, Kayama if you will”.

“Wha-” and just like that Ben was knocked out a second time by Midnight’s Somnambulist Quirk.

* * *

When Ben woke up, he noticed the Omnitrix was missing. In fact Nezu seemed to be inspecting it on his desk with a shirtless guy in a helmet. 

“Why hello, Mr. Tennyson! I take it you’ve reconsidered my offer”. 

“What? No. You just knocked me out! And you stole my watch”.

“Well, I will be more than happy to return your watch to you if you sign the papers on the desk”. 

The papers in question was a contract that required him to work for the school for the next three years. Ben looked at them with disdain. He was already a Plumber, he didn’t need a second job. 

“Of course, you could simply walk out of here without the Omnitrix though I’m not sure leaving Level 20 technology in the hands of a school is necessarily the best choice but the choice is yours Mr. Tennyson”.

“This is extortion!”

“Actually I believe the proper term would be bribery. You have a choice Mr. Tennyson. You can take the bribe and work for me or you can walk out of here without your Omnitrix”.

Ben was stumped for words. He couldn’t really do anything. Maybe sue but as if Nezu could tell what he was thinking, he stamped out those thoughts. 

“Legal action isn’t recommended. Remember where you are Mr. Tennyson, you’re a vigilante and I’m the principal of the top Hero school in the country. How do you think a lawsuit between the two of us would work out?” Nezu said in his usual cheerful tone but there was something different about his expression. His grin had become more sinister and his eyes were cold and calculating.

Ben really didn’t have any choice. He was a terrible shot and useless at everything else. Without the Omnitrix, he was nothing. With a sigh he walked to Nezu’s desk and grabbed a pen. After a moment’s hesitation he signed the contract. Grandpa wasn’t going to be pleased about this.

“Wonderful!”

And almost as if the universe was laughing at him, that was when Sevenseven busted through the wall like the bloody Kool-Aid Man and let out a loud growl into his transceiver letting everyone know he’d found Ben.

“Hey, Sevenseven” Ben said in an embarrassed tone and waved his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we're getting more into the morality of the characters. If I hadn't used up "Morality", I would've titled this chapter it. The theme of the chapter is well, necessary evil and are there scenarios in which evil actions are right? On one side, you have characters like Bakugou and All Might. For them, there is always another way that doesn't involve breaking your principles and if you take the path that does, you're no better than a villain. On the other side, you have characters like Midoriya and Nezu here and this partly stems from their lack of power. All Might and Bakugou can take their side because they believe that might makes right. In other words, if you're powerful enough then you can make your own path. Midoriya and Nezu, however lack that power and so are typically a lot more cynical. They know the world isn't fair and without having the power to change it, they find it a lot easier to justify amoral actions like manipulation or invasion of privacy. They're still heroic people but they are more grey in their morality.
> 
> This partially goes into why Nezu wants Ben on his side. Ben is a wild card. He has the most powerful weapon in the universe and has a tendency to break the rules, when it suits him. Hell, the Plumbers exploit this and use him as a rogue agent in the Rooter Arc (which, has the absolute worst storytelling in the series). And because he doesn't know Ben personally and knows that Ben has the potential to change the world for better and for worse, he wants to ensure that Ben is on the 'right' side.
> 
> Anyway comments and criticism are appreciated. It's probably going to be a while before I upload the next chapter, mainly because the next two chapters are a two-parter and I intend to upload them together and also I've started my next semester so I don't have as much time to write.


	9. Preparations

“I can’t believe you’re working at U.A!” Midoriya screamed as he hit the recently reinforced block of ice. Every hit seemed to be actively breaking it, which hopefully meant he was close to achieving Stone Cutter. 

It had been two weeks since the meeting and Ben was hoping Midoriya wouldn’t find out until too late but Rook trying to be ‘helpful’ as always put a dent in that plan. As it was, the current state of his life was work at U.A. in the daytime. Investigate Kamino Ward at night. 

He was hoping for a more precise location but unfortunately Adrian had covered his tracks well. He’d found Psyphon and would appear in a different location each time they met. As for Adrian, himself the man was an enigma as a Plumber. He constantly followed in Hisashi’s footsteps and didn’t really have any defining qualities when he was working. 

However, he was an addition to the timeline. Apparently his Quirk had something to do with electricity or whatever, Ben kinda zoned out when Rook was explaining this to him. Where was he? Oh, right. Midoriya was fanboying about U.A. 

“Uh, yeah. So you have to make sure to make it in. I don’t wanna waste my time” Ben said tiredly, while rubbing his eyes. His sleep schedule had been well and truly shot though.

Midoriya gave him a large grin “Right” and proceeded to start punching the crystalline structure now that he had demolished the ice sculpture. 

Grandpa Max was trying to help him out of this contract but was making no progress given that the Omnitrix was still legally Azmuth’s and Ben had no obligation to take a job to get it back. In meantime Grandpa reminded him that his work as a Plumber took precedence. 

Ben had managed to get one of the bounty hunters to help him with security. As cool as he was, he was going to need a second pair of eyes if he wanted to cover the whole school. Occasionally he’d have Rook to help but most times it was one of the bounty hunters while Rook and the other two continued to search for Adrian.

“C’mon” Ben beckoned to Eighteight who was helping her little sister ‘eat’. He wasn’t sure what the reason was between Sotorrogians needing to adapt to a certain climate or maybe they just developed late but either way, Twotwo had tubes coming out of her mask to drink some smoothy thing. Before you ask, yes Ben did try some and no, he refuses to be embarrassed about it. It was surprisingly nicer than you’d think.

Another thing to note was despite being bounty hunters, the relationship between him and Rook and the three Sotorrogians had improved tremendously even if both parties knew they were going to go back to trying to kill each other once the mission was over. He’d even learned some Sotorrogian to understand what they were saying now.

Sevenseven would often bond with Rook over cars and they had gone to a couple AUTO shows together. Sixsix was surprisingly a fan of Sumo Slammers and video games in general. Eighteight was generally amicable though her interests lied more in martial arts and weapons. Still as long as he didn’t compare her to her brothers, she didn’t try and kill Ben and that was good enough. 

“Don’t you think it’s a little too... I dunno happy?” Eighteight asked as they flew to the school. Ben in his Sotorrogian form.

“Oh, absolutely” Ben said with a grin.

In Ben’s life alone they had a breakthrough in the mission and had befriended the bounty hunters. Even the blackmail into U.A. was more of an annoyance than anything truly bad. Things were good and that meant things were going to go to shit real fast. 

“Something’s definitely going to go wrong” Eighteight stated. 

“Definitely”. That was what him and Eighteight bonded over. Sure, they may not have any shared interests but they both were also the most experienced in their groups and thus had some sort of innate ability to decide when things were about to get dangerous. 

Of course part of it was because Sotoroggia was essentially hell if it was a planet and the bounty hunters didn’t really trust anyone or anything but still it was something. Supposedly Sixsix and Sevenseven also were savvy but were either too prideful or just chose a “shoot it til it dies” methodology.

“Still, once things go south, we should be able to easily take care of the problem. I mean Adrian’s facing the savior of the whole, entire universe and a kickass bounty hunter” Ben said arrogantly. Funny, he could almost feel Eighteight’s eyes roll. 

“The same people who got their asses kicked by my brother’s upgraded suit” Eighteight remarked as they arrived at the school.

“True. But we beat him eventually and we’re facing a human. No matter how good his Quirk is, it’s not like we’re facing a reality warper like Charles Zenith” Ben said with a sly smirk as Eighteight drew her weapons on him. 

“Never. Mention. That. Show. Again” Eighteight said with a buzzsaw perilously close to his neck.

“Ok! Ok! I was kidding. Geez”. Eighteight withdrew her weapons.

“It still baffles me how you can be so needlessly optimistic” Eighteight said.

“Because I generally tend to win” Ben replied. 

This was effectively the crux of their differences. Eighteight had grown up on a planet that quite frankly didn’t suit her species, even if she was one of the lucky few who hadn’t mutated and didn’t need cybernetics to survive. By contrast he had grown up relatively normal and had the most powerful tool in the universe handed to him on a silver-platter. Even in times where he did lose, things would usually work out but Eighteight didn’t have that luxury. 

When Eighteight lost, she had wasted precious resources for nothing. When she took up a mission she had damn well better be sure she emerged victorious and even when she did, she would eventually find herself in an “all or nothing” scenario. Granted, she would never stop being a bounty hunter. She loved the thrill of fighting, killing, acquiring relics etc. but she couldn’t deny that it would be better if she didn’t have to keep essentially living off a gambling lifestyle.

‘I wonder what I’ll have to do once the mission is over’ Eighteight thought before shaking those thoughts out of her head. 

“I’ll meet you for lunch?” Ben asked to which she gave an affirmative nod before moving to her post. Ben went to go his own route before being interrupted by a blue-haired girl. He thinks her name was Hado, right?

“Hey! Who was that? Was that your girlfriend? Hey, Tennyson” Hado said while poking his face. 

Ben swatted her fingers away before explaining “Well gee, Hado, you first met Sixsix, then Sevenseven, what do you think her name is? Anyway she isone of the bounty hunters I work with and no, she is not my girlfriend. Gross”.

“What’s so gross about having a girlfriend?” Hado was really up close and personal, now. 

“Nothing’s wrong with being in a relationship but once her mission is over we’re going to go back to killing each other”. Ben looked around to make sure Eighteight wasn’t around before whispering in Hado’s ear

“Besides do you have any idea how old she is?” he said before having to dodge a plasma blast that came from Eighteight’s direction.

A growl came from the Omnitrix’s communications feature.

“Super hearing. Did not expect that to be a power the Sotorrogians would have” Ben remarked, as if he hadn’t been in close proximity to four of them in the last three and a half months.

“Anyway, in my line of work it’s a bad idea to get into a relationship” Ben turned to Hado.

“But you’re a hero, right?” 

“Not according to the public but that’s pretty much why it’s a bad idea to be a hero”.

“But why-”

Ben cut her off before she could ask too many questions. “I have had three different relationships in the past and all failed for different reasons. One broke up over miscommunication but even then I never really paid too much attention to her and even when I wasn’t being a selfish jerk who only cared about fame, I was off saving people. I never really had time or made any effort to make time for her”.

Hado looked at him as they walked around the school. He could tell she wanted him to continue.

“One relationship broke up because I didn’t want a repeat of the last one and had no idea how to remedy the problem. Looking back, I’d probably say that one could’ve worked out if I’d just stopped being a coward who pretended nothing was going on. Eventually she left me for some other guy”.

Ben quirked an eyebrow “Aren’t you supposed to be in class or something?” 

“I’ll just have Amajiki give me the notes” she said with a smile. 

“Please explain more about your love life” Hado begged like a child wanting a cookie.

“Well, the last one is probably the worst possible type of relationship you could have” Ben sighed.

“The relationship, where both sides don’t really care about each other. She wanted me because of this” Ben gestured to the Omnitrix. “She’d treat me like dirt and then be a completely different person when I transformed, especially into Blitzwolfer”.

“That’s terrible. Hey, why did you want her”. 

“She was a hot girl, what else do you need to know?” Hado wasn’t sure what she was expecting but it certainly wasn’t an answer as mundane and shameless as that.

“Ultimately we were both jerks who wanted something the other person had. Add to the fact that everyone was trying to push us into a relationship and it was doomed to fail.” Ben explained.

“Have some advice, if you ever get into a relationship do it with a person who either doesn’t know or doesn’t care that you’re a hero, ok? Like Mirio or Amajiki”.

“Actually I’m pretty sure they like each other”.

“Really?” Ben asked as Hado nodded with a grin.

“Good for them”. 

Hado decided to change the subject to something lighter by asking him about his aliens and how they function. 

‘It’s Midoriya all over again’ Ben thought but still eagerly answered her questions when she didn’t immediately skip to another one. 

And that was how Hado spent all of first period accompanying Ben for his patrol around the school.

* * *

“Deku” Bakugou growled as he took a seat next to Midoriya.

Midoriya and Bakugou’s relationship had somewhat improved in recent times, thanks to a certain vigilante. 

“Have you asked him about it?” It being training. Bakugou realised his faults and figured the best way to become number one was to train against a guy who had something for every situation.

“Oh, no Kacchan. Sorry” Midoriya looked down at his feet.

“Tch, damn bastard” Bakugou said but clearly he hadn’t been expecting to get the training done no matter what Deku’s role in it was. Even if Deku did ask, there was a high chance that Tennyson would just refuse.

“I swear I was gonna ask but I was too caught up in the fact that he has a job at U.A and-” 

That was something he most certainly wasn’t expecting. 

Bakugou let our miniature explosions from his hands “What the hell do you mean, he got a job at U.A, you damn nerd?!” 

“From what I know after that night, the R18 hero Midnight knocked him out with her Quirk and dragged him back to U.A where the principal gave him the choice to surrender or work for him. But that’s just what I know, I swear” Midoriya cried out. 

“Tch. All the more reason to make sure I get in” Bakugou muttered to himself before turning to Midoriya “I would say don’t even fucking think about going to U.A but with him working there, you’re pretty much guaranteed to get in. Just stay the hell out of my way, Deku!” Bakugou yelled as they ate their lunch. 

The rest of lunch was spent discussing possible weak points of Tennyson. So far Bakugou knew that Tennyson could only shapeshift into one form at a time and thus only could use a fraction of his arsenal. He could shapeshift into other forms but seemed to prefer sticking to the one he got unless absolutely necessary. However, Deku had actually been useful and had started taking note of the strengths and weaknesses of those forms. 

For example, he had no idea the speedster alien was so fragile that it would only take one hit to break it’s bones though thanks to it’s healing factor, it kind of made it a moot point. Perhaps Deku wasn’t so worthless after all.

* * *

Despite, all he had seen this new timeline still managed to surprise him. Case in point, just a few seconds ago he had been bumped into by clothes. Well judging by the uniform it seemed he had been bumped into by a teenage girl but said girl was invisible.

“Sorry!” she yelped before going on her merry way.

Well, that was a thing but he needed to focus on the mission and Rook was, to put it simply, frustrated. Ben had made a breakthrough, yes but it would’ve been helpful to get a more precise location. Without anything out of the ordinary to tie him to, the group had essentially been wandering around Kamino Ward, hoping that they might be able to come across Adrian by sheer luck. 

Ben had wanted to check out an abandoned factory that was on the other side of the Ward but Rook quickly dismissed that idea. They couldn’t dismiss all other locations on a hunch. What baffled him even more was that Eighteight agreed with Ben citing that it would be the perfect place to lay low and hide something despite the fact that a man regularly going in and out of an abandoned factory would just draw attention. Where was he? Right, Adrian.

The fact that Adrian was the mastermind still baffled him, even two weeks after the revelation. While he wasn’t entirely clean, the reports had always indicated that he was a follower not a leader. Most of the trouble came from Hisashi though Rook was sure he was still involved somehow. 

True, he had managed to go off the grid for five years but the moment he saw two Plumbers, he immediately tried to kill them. Him and Ben would never have got this far if he merely stayed quiet. On top of that, he called a meeting for these bounty hunters at Baumann’s store. Yes, it was a place everyone knew and seemingly innocuous enough but it was also managed by an ally to the Plumbers. 

Even if Adrian was smart enough to realise the implications of his plan and plan around it, the course he had taken was so needlessly complex. Why hire people who have encountered Ben before (and Ben has defeated before) when he could hire an assassin to kill them in their sleep? Or even better, Adrian was likely observing them so he could’ve done it himself. Adrian’s Quirk would’ve been perfect for the job. 

His plan relied not only on people that have previously been defeated by Ben, managing to kill him but also those same people not looking into how much Taydenite there was on Earth. It wasn’t that hard! In the event that they did succeed in killing Ben and himself, Adrian’s plan also relied on those same bounty hunters armed with the Omnitrix and Plumber equipment not tracking him down and killing him. 

‘I found something’ Sixsix said though everyone only heard a growl. 

“Finally!” Rook yelled in glee as he followed Sixsix. 

It was doubtful that they found Adrian, just due to the sheer lack of laser fire going off and the fact that Sixsix likely wouldn’t have come told him anyway but hopefully it was something that could help. They came to a bar. Rook shot Sixsix a quizzical look.

‘OK I know it looks bad but as I was... investigating this bar something happened that might be important’ Sixsix said as he entered the bar. 

Rook followed and was astounded to found a large, black expanse in the wall. Rook radioed Sevenseven letting him know where they were and what they were doing before entering the expanse. 

Rook was surprised when he entered the other side only to see a man on a medical bed, his eyes seemed to have been completely removed from his face. His vitals were being monitored by a doctor.

“I take it you’re Plumbers?” the man said in a cold tone.

“Only I am a Plumber. My name is Rook Blonko and how do you know what the Plumbers are?” Rook said pointing his proto-Tool at the man. 

He wasn’t sure what it was but something was off about the man. It was like there was a snake in the room, patiently waiting for it’s time to strike. 

“Why I was one, of course” the man replied with a cold smirk.

Rook gripped his proto-Tool while Sixsix kept his guns on the man. “Hisashi Midoriya”. 

“In the flesh”.

“I was under the assumption your Quirk was fire-breathing, not portal creation”

“Inko still remembers? I’m flattered. Did she tell you that story about when I confronted that living dumpster fire? I truly don’t deserve someone like her” Hisashi said fondly. 

Rook didn’t take his eyes of Hisashi. “Oh relax, this was the work of one of my associates’ Quirks, not mine. It’s like you think I’m some Quirk stealing monster or something’

“Well if you had a teleportation Quirk at your disposal, why did you not head back to Plumber HQ? “

‘Gee, I dunno, maybe because there’s no Plumbers in this country and there’s a limit to how far an individual can teleport. Especially when your in the condition I am in”.

“Then why did you not contact us?” Rook asked. Hisashi made a frustrated noise, clearly getting tired of these questions. 

“Well, that’s a bit of a problem. One, I feel we both share”.

Rook’s eyes widened. “Adrian”.

Hisashi smirked “Quite. Around five years ago, I got into a fight. As you can tell I lost and have been unable to do anything ever since. Adrian took full advantage of my crippled state and made off with the Quirk Integration Project”.

Rook’s eyes widened “More on that later, but first I thought you might want to know where Adrian is right now”. 

“If you have a teleporter at your disposal, why didn’t you take him down yourself?”

“... If you haven’t noticed Blonko”

“Rook”

“Blonko. If you haven’t noticed, I can’t move” Hisashi said, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. 

“Besides I only knew his whereabouts within the last three months and I felt it would be much more poetic for a traitor of the Plumbers to be defeated by a Plumber, don’t you? Lucky for me, I found you and your partner around the same time as Adrian slipped up”.

Rook sighed “OK. Where is he?”

“Before I give you his location, you don’t need any other information like his Quirk, right? I’m sure the records will suffice”. 

“Just tell me already!” Rook said impatiently and so Hisashi complied with his wishes.

‘Oh. Oh son of a bitch’

* * *

“You were right” Rook said begrudgingly as Ben and Eighteight arrived at the Midoriya household.

“Hm?”

“You were right about the location of Adrian” Rook looked down at the floor. He could not believe this. 

“Alright!” Ben exclaimed before offering Eighteight a high five who left him hanging.

“OK, fine” Ben said as he high fived himself. 

“So where is he? You found him so you must’ve arrested him. Is he already back at Plumber HQ?” Ben asked in addition to 10 other questions and going on about how he wanted to give the guy a smackdown or something.

“I have not arrested him yet. I received some intel, made sure it was accurate and then returned here to confide in you for what our plan going forth is”.

“Duh, beat the guy up of course, then arrest and interrogate him. If that doesn’t work I’ve got Pesky Dust. We head out tonight”. 

“Can I come?” Midoriya asked. 

“No”/”Yes” Both Plumbers turned to each other and glared. 

“If he comes, we will only be putting an innocent child at risk of being harmed”.

“Uh, hello. It’s one traitor against three bounty hunters, one Plumber and the savior of the whole entire universe. If we do our jobs right, the kid’s not going to get hurt and will gain some valuable experience about how to handle situations as a hero. Who knows? Maybe the presence of All Might’s chosen one will actually help us succeed easier”. 

“We’re not going to need help, especially not if it puts an innocent civilian at risk!”

‘Personally I agree with Tennyson’ Eighteight interjected. 

“Why?” Rook turned to the bounty hunter.

“Look, the kid is his partner’s son. His partner who he tried to pin the blame on. In the past three months, the target has shown himself to be more emotional than logical ergo he will prioritise the kid over any of us. This will be useful if his “Quirk”” Eighteight said Quirk while making air quotes “is the perfect counter against us, as you’ve described. We’re going to need a distraction and we’ve got one that’s perfectly willing to play the part” she said as she gestured to Midoriya.

Rook would ask for Sixsix and Sevenseven to back him up but he knew their idea was to go in guns blazing with or without Midoriya. Finding himself outnumbered, Rook knew there was only one choice. 

“Alright. Midoriya can come with us and be the distraction as long as there is not sufficient risk”.

“Wait, what’s this about me being a distraction?!” Midoriya questioned. But before he got the opportunity, Ben reassured him that no harm would come to him considering it was only one human with a Quirk.

“In other news Midoriya, I am pleased to say your father is not in fact a deadbeat.” Rook changed the subject with a smile. 

“What?!” Midoriya’s eyes narrowed.

“It would seem sometime in the past five years, your father and his partner got into a fight. Your father was crippled and even to this day cannot move besides speaking. The top half of his head was the most severely injured and it would be highly unlikely that he did not suffer any brain damage, especially with the loss of his eyes...” Rook explained.

“The loss of his eyes?!” Midoriya exclaimed. 

All this time he’d hated his father. For leaving without so much as an explanation. For hurting him and his mother. He still had fond memories of the guy like when his father took him out for ice cream after he was diagnosed Quirkless and reassuring him that he didn’t have to have a Quirk to be a hero despite his clear disdain for the profession. 

It was thanks to him that he started analysing Quirks in an attempt to hopefully make a difference someday. His dad helped him and looked over his notes with glee. They’d analyse Quirks on TV... and then one day he left and never came back. 

But the knowledge that it hadn’t been his fault. That his father was just a victim of some villain. It changed everything and made his blood boil. 

“Is that where you got the intel from?” Ben asked. 

“Indeed. He even gave me this to give to you and your mother” Rook said as he pulled out a device of some kind. It only had one button on it.

“What is it?” Midoriya asked.

“It is a transceiver. You can use it to get his teleporter to bring you to your father. You could use it now if you wish”.

Midoriya ignored Ben’s cries of “he has a teleporter” and stared at the device before looking down.

“It can wait. First I want to meet the guy that hurt my dad” Midoriya said with fire in his eyes. Fire that if utilised could utterly burn a person into ash. 

And so that was all that was said on the matter. The group got their plan and equipment sorted to take down the man known as Adrian Smith. Little did they know, the odds were not as in their favor as it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, I'm sorry I took so long. Exams and assignments have been a bitch to deal with and I'm not even done yet. I plan on uploading chapter 10 soon. It's nearly finished so thanks for being patient.
> 
> Now as for this chapter, I'm not happy with it. Like with chapter 2, I'm mainly fine with it but there are a couple of scenes that just kinda ruin it for me. Ben talking about his past love interests for example. It seemed like a better idea in my head but basically it was just there to confirm that Ben isn't really going to have a relationship in this story as well as sinking BenKai (If you like it that's fine but I just can't get behind the ship). Unfortunately, the end result just felt really forced. As for the rest of the chapter, it feels alright. Title name is obvious and it clearly shows that we're getting close to the finale (of this season).
> 
> Once again, I am really sorry for keeping you readers waiting. Chapter 10 will be up soon and so will my exams/assignments sooo hopefully I will be able to get back on track with updates.


	10. Adrian

Adrian Smith was a fairly average person. Sure, he’d become a space cop but he mainly did grunt work and he never really stood out. His partner, Hisashi, had criminal connections and was obviously a “villain” but as long as it didn’t affect him, it wasn’t his problem. If the Plumbers’ didn’t want to do their jobs, that was on them.

Hisashi would regularly lord his superiority over Adrian and forced him to accompany him. Adrian wouldn’t say he had a strong moral compass but... the things Hisashi made him do. The things he saw Hisashi himself do... to innocent people. They were wrong, plain and simple. Unfortunately Hisashi was too powerful for him and did whatever was required of him. No less but certainly not more.

However, one day, he found himself in a prime opportunity. He could be free of Hisashi and while he was it, he could get a little more power for himself. All thanks to a little thing called the Quirk Integration Project.

It was almost funny how easy it was. It took but a phone call and Hisashi was out of his hair. See people with power tend to make a lot of enemies and it seemed Hisashi, for all his strength, had bit off a bit more than he could chew.

And after the fact, Adrian took the opportunity to steal Hisashi’s little pet project and disappear, never to be seen again. In hindsight, it was only a matter of time before the Plumbers caught on that something was amiss but he’d gotten lucky. The Plumbers were in the middle of re-establishing their authority over Earth. A single, average Plumber was not important enough and it made getting away, that much easier.

However, his status was eventually deemed an abnormality. The Plumbers finally got their shit together and sent their best agents after him. Adrian figured he’d do the same thing he did to his partner but alas Tennyson managed to prevail.

And now he had figured out where Adrian was. Hisashi wasn’t actually dead and his son is coming after him. If his son was anything like that monster, Adrian shuddered at the thought. And of course that’s on top of the three bounty hunters he had pissed off with his little Taydenite gambit. As well as another Plumber and Ben freaking Tennyson. Adrian looked at the monitor displaying their Plumber badges.

“Wonderful. Just fucking wonderful”. Well at least he’ll get to beat the shit out of Hisashi’s son.

* * *

“Hey Rook, what do you think’s going to happen once the mission’s over” Ben asked as they made their way to the Kamino Ward.

“I had assumed, that we would head back to base to debrief Magister Tennyson but you getting a job at a high school may have put a stop to that. Either way, as per our agreement the bounty hunters will likely take their payment and leave, hopefully searching for bounties unrelated to us”.

“What about Hisashi?”

“There is no doubt in my mind that he is up to something. While I was with him, it felt like there was a predator in the room, waiting ready to strike” Rook said as Sixsix nodded his head in agreement.

“And I thought you only accepted facts and evidence” Ben smirked.

“Well, something doesn’t feel right about that man. If he was truly the loving family man he claims he is, he was why didn’t he make an extra effort to get in touch with them?”

Ben tried to answer only for Rook to cut him off “And I find it highly unlikely he only just found where Adrian is especially with a teleporter on his side. Speaking of which, said teleporter was nowhere to be found when we interviewed him”.

“Based on the circumstances, I feel justified in saying that there is something wrong with him” Rook finished his rant.

“I guess” Ben said as he set up his bike. “Hey Midoriya?”

And that was how Midoriya found himself gripping for dear life on a motorcycle instead of in a safe truck. Although Ben did have a point that it was far faster, he’d prefer the vehicle with less of a chance of crashing. Rook could’ve used the company given that the three bounty hunters were flying overhead.

Said bounty hunters did not go unnoticed by Ben “Flight? Now that’s just unfair. What do you say we speed things up a little, Midoriya?”

“No no no!” Midoriya tried to yell but went ignored as Ben sped the motorcycle up to dangerously high speeds to try and catch up to the bounty hunters. All the while Midoriya gripped tightly and was hoping this was some kind of dream.

* * *

Predictably Rook was the last one to arrive at the factory, though Ben had managed to catch up to Sixsix.

Midoriya seemed to be shaking after the whole ordeal and was muttering something about speeding and lasers.

Rook sighed “I believe, the only reason I agreed to Midoriya being here was that we did our best not to traumatize him”, which caused the other four people to let out a chorus of apologies.

“Now the factory has two possible routes, upstairs leading to the upper floors and downstairs which lead to the basement. I for one believe it is in our best interest to-”

“Split up.”

“No.” Rook glared at Ben.

“C’mon Rook I actually have a good reason for it this time. If Adrian catches us roaming around the warehouse all in one spot, that’ll give him a greater opportunity to escape”.

Rook couldn’t fault his logic and agreed to splitting up in two teams. Him, Sixsix and Sevenseven would take the upper floors while Ben, Eigheight and Midoriya would take the basement. Not only was it the safest route for Midoriya but by putting the Plumbers on two seperate teams, it would prevent the bounty hunters from betraying them in the heat of things.

Rook’s group went upstairs and started roaming through rooms. After 10 minutes, they were interrupted by laser fire. Rook looked up to see at least half a dozen Techadon Robots!

‘Magister Tennyson did say that a shipment had been stolen but I never thought Adrian would be the culprit!’ Rook thought as he dodged another barrage of laser fire and transformed his Proto-TOOL; Sixsix and Sevenseven also bringing out their weapons.

They fired their weapons and managed to destroy one or two but they simply regenerated. Rook brought up comms and said “We need backup! Fourth room on the second floor. There is a group of Techadon robots comprising of 6-7 units”

However, Rook was only met with static.

“Ben?” he called out before having to dodge a blast that destroyed the wall, where he had been.

* * *

Midoriya was quite frankly excited. Sure he was a distraction but this was his first ever mission! This was the first time he got to be part of the action instead of just standing on the sidelines, watching others do the work. Of course given that he doesn’t have a Quirk and hasn’t even learned Stone Cutter he was just going to be on the sidelines... watching others do the work but. Huh.

“Well, well, well if it isn’t the Plumber, the bounty hunter and Hisashi’s kid” an almost gleeful voice called out to them in the dark.

He knew this was Adrian and he felt himself shaking with rage.

“Midoriya”. Ben called out to him in a concerned tone but he didn’t care.

Channeling his inner Kacchan, he yelled out “Adrian, show yourself you damn bastard! You’re gonna pay for crippling my dad” Izuku felt tears going down his face.

“Midoriya!” He heard Ben yell.

“Oh, but I didn’t cripple Hisashi. I mean I certainly had a part to play but the guy had it coming. Think what you will about me but he’s a far worse person than I could ever hope to be”.

Midoriya processed the information. There was another person who crippled his father? No, judging from Adrian’s actions it was probably just a bounty hunter doing his job. That bit about his father deserving to be crippled, however.

“LIES!” Midoriya yelled as he ran forward to reach the source of the voice.

“Wait, Midoriya!” Ben reached out to stop him but Midoriya simply batted his hand away and kept running. However, when he got to his destination he felt a hand grab him and a knife at his neck.

‘That’s not blood going down my neck, right?’ Midoriya thought. He looked up at Adrian but Adrian had his eyes on the rest of his group. However, Adrian immediately removed the knife so he could tell that the knife had indeed cut him.

“Let’s be honest, I don’t have to kill you right now and you’re a Quirkless teenager. Holding you should do for now”. And Adrian was right. Despite Midoriya’s training, he was still a middle school student compared to a space cop that’s been on the run.

“That’s it. It’s hero time!” Ben called out as he hit the Omnitrix. Only he didn’t transform. Ben kept hitting the Omnitrix to no avail. Likewise Eighteight was clearly trying to shoot Adrian but found that her guns weren’t working.

“See what you’ve done, Izuku? Thanks to you, I can keep my attention entirely on the two people in this room who could actually stop me” Adrian said without even turning to him.

Suddenly his face sported a ginormous smile that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror movie

“Oh, Mr. Tennyson don’t even think about calling your partner. I mean not just because it’ll be a waste of time but I do believe that you’ll find that they are quite preoccupied at the moment”

Adrian pressed a button on a remote in his pocket and a large screen behind him came to life, showing that Rook, Sixsix and Sevenseven were fighting a group of large orange robots. Whenever the robots took damage, they would simply regenerate.

“True, my Quirk can’t reach them from here but they should still be kept busy for long enough. Kill them” Adrian announced.

It was at that moment that Midoriya noticed there were similar robots in this very room. Midoriya counted five in total. Their hands shapeshifted into gauntlets and let out a barrage of lasers, which both Ben and Eighteight quickly dodged.

“Damn it what’s his Quirk?” Ben said as he kept dodging while trying to get the Omnitrix to work.

Eighteight let out a couple of growls.

“Technology nullification?! Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Though Izuku didn’t understand Sotoroggian, he had a feeling what she said was something like “We did” especially given Ben’s reaction of “OK OK. There’s no need to be mean about it”.

Izuku started analysing the situation. OK his Quirk is Technology Nullification but there has to be a limit to that. Hm. Adrian hasn’t taken his eyes of the two, even when he was talking to Izuku. Also both the robots and the screen were placed behind Adrian and for whatever reason Rook and his team were out of range...

“Guys, his Quirk is based on sight. He can only nullify your equipment of he sees you!”

“Tch, I see you share Hisashi’s penchant for analysing Quirks. Once I’m done with your friends, I am going to kill you. Of course you already knew that but the process will be very slow and very painful and I’m going to record the whole thing so that I have something to send Hisashi when this is over. I’m sure he will be most amused at the sounds of your screams” Adrian ranted.

“I know I will” Adrian turned to Midoriya, looking very unhinged. Ben tried to take the opportunity to transform but Adrian quickly turned back

“Whoops! Almost let my emotions get the better of me there!” He said in a cheerful tone.

Eighteight however, had taken the opportunity to activate her jetpack for a small burst of propulsion to leap over Adrian and start fighting the Techadon robots.

Adrian was pissed that he had allowed an opening but knew that between one bounty hunter and Tennyson, Tennyson was the bigger threat. The Techadons would protect him if they did their job correctly. And protect him they did, four of the Techadon’s had now formed a line between Adrian and Eighteight and continued to fire while Eighteight nimbly dodged the blasts and fired her own.

She proceeded to dodge and flip around the battlefield but she was steadily getting closer and once she got closer she activated her energy swords and sliced clean through one of the Techadons. Of course it tried to regenerate but Eighteight used the opportunity to use the regenerating body as a shield against the other three Techadon robots.

For his part Ben was also trying to get closer but wasn’t having as much luck. While four had been made to protect Adrian, one was still left to fire at Tennyson before he could get too close.

Eighteight wasn’t faring much better. The Techadons were adapting their fighting strategy so that when she got close to one of them, the other two shot at her. Eventually she was blasted into a wall and her armor was starting to crack, yet the Techadons were taking this opportunity to fire at her with everything they had. Then one of the Techadons through a grenade at her for good measure. The grenade exploded and took out a good chunk of the wall.

“Ooh that sounded like it hurt” Adrian remarked but Eighteight merely let out a primal growl. Her armor had been completely destroyed and she had been reduced to the black underlayer, which even that was starting to crack. There were black spots over her and it was apparent she had been burnt and was bleeding.

Despite that her face remained stoic, the fins on the top of her head twitched and the glare from her red eyes made it clear she was pissed. Eighteight merely picked up the regenerating head and performed an elaborate set of acrobatics with her shield before jamming it into another Techadon. She must've hit something because both her shield and one of the the Techadons blew up. She let out another primal growl and lept forward to tackle the Techadon’s. Despite having none of her weapons, she wasted no time punching through the chest of one of the two remaining Techadons and ripping out it’s core with some wires.

Adrian had heard the thing as well. “That’s not possible!” he said as he let go of Midoriya.

Midoriya quickly took the the opportunity to get away from him.

“Oh fine, it’s not like you can do anything anyway” Adrian said as Ben was blasted into a wall. Eighteight’s injuries seemed to be taking their toll on her as she was her movement’s became more sluggish and the Techadon took the opportunity to pin her to the ground with it’s blaster aimed at her head.

The remaining Techadon started moving towards Ben who was incapacitated, clearly with the intention of killing him. Adrian had a smug smirk on his face.

Izuku couldn’t believe it. He was about to watch one of his heroes die in front of him. The person who’d convinced his mother to let him follow his dream. The person who’d saved Kacchan and him, twice. This couldn’t be the end. He had to do something... but he couldn’t.

Adrian was right. He was just a stupid, fucking Deku. He couldn’t do anything. Izuku sighed as he looked down at the ground and then he caught Eighteight who couldn’t get up from the Techadon’s pin. Her strength had left her and she faced the the impending shot with closed eyes.

He looked to Ben, who despite his injuries was still trying to get up to face the Techadon.

It couldn’t end like this. He wanted to be a hero and heroes saved people. They meddled in affairs even when they didn’t have to. Izuku felt something channel inside him and decided to try something. He had no idea how well it would work but he had to try, right?

Lifting one hand into the air, he manipulated this feeling into his right arm. He yelled and punched into the ground.

“STONE CUTTER!”

An immense amount of vibrations was felt thoughout the area. The Techadon aiming at Eighteight lost it’s footing and missed creating an opening that Eighteight seized. She punched through the robot and ripped anything she could find out of it. The Techadon tried to fight back but Eighteight refused to give it the opportunity and pretty soon she had dismantled the entire thing without a hope of it recovering.

Adrian lost his footing and with that opportunity meant he also couldn’t use his Quirk effectively, which Ben gladly took hold of the opportunity.

“C’mon Jury Rigg!” He yelled as he entered a flash of light, only to come out as a large brown dinosaur.

“Well, Humungousaur is good enough” he grinned.

Adrian tried to activate his Quirk again but was sent into a wall by the final Techadon robot, which Humungousaur had thrown at him. Adrian tried to get up but failed and merely slumped to the floor, unable to even use his Quirk.

Humungousaur transformed back into Ben and looked at the group and grinned. Then took notice of Eighteight without her armor on and blushed. She let out a quizzical growl.

“You’re just prettier than I thought you’d be” Ben said.

Eighteight let out another growl but Midoriya didn’t understand what she said.

“Hey, c’mon don’t be like that. I said you were pretty, right?” he said.

“You heard that, right Midoriya?” Ben turned to Midoriya only he wasn’t there. He was on the other side of the room seething with rage. His fist lifted into the air, above Adrian’s unconscious body. Tears of sadness and anger trickled down his face.

“It’s because of you my dad never came back home... and you had the audacity to say he deserved it” Midoriya said in a cold tone. His breathing had become erratic.

Ben only needed one look to figure out what Midoriya was about to do and it seemed Eighteight had also realised. In Adrian’s state, the Stone Cutter technique had a very good chance of killing him or at the very least critically injuring him.

Eighteight went to tackle Midoriya away from Adrian but her stamina had been completely depleted and her injuries had taken their toll on her so she pathetically fell down.

“Midoriya!” Ben called out. “Stop. Just think about what you’re doing. Adrian’s already been defeated. If you do this, the only thing you’ll accomplish is becoming a murderer”

“He tried to kill my father and held a knife to my neck. He deserves what’s coming to him”

“What about being a hero?”

That gave Midoriya pause. “What?”

“You wanted to be a Pro Hero, right? Cause if you do this, you will be throwing that dream away. The villain’s been defeated, there’s no need to do anything more. Are you willing to throw that dream away just to satisfy some petty grudge’

“HE TRIED TO KILL MY FATHER!” Midoriya screamed. “Because of him, my father never got to come home. He missed out on so much and maybe if he was there, my life wouldn’t have been so miserable the last five years”.

“Yes but what would your dad say if you ended your future to avenge him? What about your mother or All Might, for that matter? What do you think his reaction would be to finding out his successor killed a defenseless man in cold blood?”

“SHUT UP!” Midoriya couldn’t take it anymore. He turned back to his father’s betrayer and prepared to use Stone Cutter. He channeled all his energy into his arm and prepared to strike. He went for the killing blow but stopped.

Tennyson was right. His father had never been fond of heroes but Izuku knew that he would gladly take his son being a “child soldier” over a murderer whose future had been cut too short.

Holy shit, what would his mother say when she found out he’d killed someone? She’d try to defend him, maybe, but the end outcome would stay the same. Midoriya imagined being in court, his mother, her head down in despair, having completely and utterly lost the case as the judge delivered his verdict.

“GUILTY”

And All Might had planned to make him his successor. What would his reaction be? Disappointment, anger and regret most likely.

_“You had so much to live for Young Midoriya” All Might said. “It’s a shame you decided to give it all up before you could even start. Fortunately I was able to choose a much more worthy successor before handing you my power” All Might started walking away from him._

_“All Might!” Izuku called out, to no avail._

_All Might ignored him and continued walking towards his successor. Kacchan._

_“Well I always knew you were a worthless Deku but I never thought you’d sink this low” he said with a sinister smile on his face._

Suddenly Izuku couldn’t take it anymore. His arm dropped to his side, the intent to kill completely leaving him as he broke down in tears. Ben came to try and comfort him but he didn’t really pay attention.

5 minutes later, Midoriya had calmed down and Ben and Eighteight had restrained Adrian. It was then that Midoriya noticed that the room Rook was in was completely empty, save for some orange scrap parts, which were probably the Techadons.

“Ben!” Rook busted through the basement with Sixsix and Sevenseven.

“Rook! See I told you we’d handle be able to handle it easily. Didn’t even need the whole team” Ben said.

“We nearly died... and I nearly killed a person but thankfully Ben was able to talk me out of it”. Midoriya said bluntly.

Sixsix and Sevenseven noticed their sister without her armor and initiated a conversation between the three of them.

Rook raised an eyebrow as he took in the amount of destruction. Two walls had been destroyed, one of the support beams had fallen down, there was a large crate in the middle of the room with cracks in the floor, both Ben and Eighteight had suffered extensive damage and their clothes were ruined exposing either burn wounds or bleeding.

“What exactly happened?”

“It’s a long story but on the upside, I learnt the Stone Cutter technique!” Midoriya said with a beaming smile, his guilt being replaced at the excitement of finally being able to utilise the technique he’d been working on for the last three and a half months.

Well at least, that was something good. Rook smiled at his pupil.

“Here, watch and see!” Midoriya went to use the technique.

“Midoriya, wait now is not the right time for this!” But it was too late. He had performed the technique and combine it with all the previous damage and the factory began to collapse in on itself. They were only saved thanks to a blue and black blur.

After seeing what he’d done to the factory Midoriya sighed “I guess that wasn’t very smart of me, was it?”

“It is understandable that you would want to show me your new technique but no it was not” Rook remarked.

“Yeah, I mean if it wasn’t for XLR8, we would’ve been crushed”.

“That was not XLR8”.

“Hm.” Izuku looked up to see Ben in yet another alien form. He was blue and black like XLR8 but was far more humanoid.

“Another speedster?!” Midoriya remarked.

“Meet Fasttrack. He may not be as fast as XLR8 but he is stronger and more durable. But enough of that, I’d say it’s time to go home, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Fasttrack grinned. He knew that grin and it didn’t like it. Ben was up to something.

“Wait, Tennyson!” And that was how he found himself in a bridal position as Fasttrack raced him home.

Rook looked in the truck. “Well, at least he had the sense to put Smith in the truck”.

* * *

The next day Izuku and Inko had decided to take up Rook’s offer of the teleportation transceiver. The moment they used it, a black portal opened in their living room.

They walked inside and found Hisashi lying on a medical table.

“You came. I had hoped you would” he said in a fond voice.

“Hisashi!”/”Dad!” both Inko and Izuku yelled as they ran to Hisashi with tears in their eyes.

“There, there. I’ve been looking forward to this reunion. Unfortunately, there have been some complications as you can see but enough about that. I’m sure you both have some questions”.

“Why, why didn’t you call? We would’ve understood your situation. Just a call would’ve been enough” Inko rambled.

“I assume Mr. Blonko told you about how I ended up in this condition. I was in a fight and needed extensive surgery. I’ve only been awake this past year or so I’m told. It pains me to say it but I forgot our number. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t really try any other methods after that but I had some... business to take care of” Hisashi said that lost part in a particularly cold tone.

“Was the man who did this to you connected to Adrian?” Izuku asked.

“No but Izuku, how do you know that name?” he asked in a commanding tone.

“Uh...” and so Izuku found himself telling the story of the past three months and recalling the events of the previous night.

“Izuku, you are grounded young man!” Inko exclaimed after hearing that her son had almost died and had nearly killed a man in the process.

“But mom!”

“Your mother is right, Izuku. What you did was extremely dangerous and you shouldn’t have been there in the first place” Hisashi said before sighing “Having said that I’m proud of you. You didn’t throw your future away and are finally starting to accomplish your goal. It is still to become a child soldier, working for the government, right?”

“Dad, it’s not like that!”

“Yes it is. But regardless of my oppositions to the profession, I know you can achieve it and I won’t stand in your way”.

Izuku wiped the tears from his eyes “Thanks dad.”

“You sure you don’t want to be a lawyer or work in the media industry or analytics?”

“I’m positive”

“Just had to make sure.”

“Oh and one other thing, All Might’s giving me his Quirk!” Izuku exclaimed as if it was something to be celebrated.

Hisashi thought otherwise “... what?”

“Yeah, apparently he has a Quirk called One For All which he can give to others and he picked me. Isn’t that cool?!”

Hisashi wanted to object. He wanted to voice his concerns about One For All and All Might. He wanted to tell Izuku that what he had seen that Quirk do to people... but he didn’t. Because despite the risks, he could tell that Inko was still tense from 5 years of absence. He’d already been gone for 5 years and he was not willing to risk a divorce as soon as he got reunited with his family.

So Hisashi didn’t tell Izuku about the danger of One For All. Instead he grimaced and merely told Izuku to be careful, that the Quirk might not be suited to his body if the number 1 hero had been using it. Only for his son to say **that’s what All Might said** and explain his training. Lovely.

‘Well at least Izuku is happy’ he thought to himself.

At the very least, he was able to see or rather feel his family’s presence again. Now he only needed a way to restore this body to the way it was and he could rejoin his family. He also needed to keep nurturing Tomura so that he could make an adequate leader or the underworld.

He and his family exchanged goodbyes when Izuku realised he still needed to clean up Dagobah Beach.

‘The garbage beach? Oh Toshi, I knew you were stupid but I thought you’d at least the sense to create a proper training program’.

* * *

“So here’s your payment” Diamondhead said to the three bounty hunters, having just finished creating a mountain of crystalline constructs while also throwing in a few limbs of his.

‘Well, first I need to go back to Sotoragg and get some new armor’ Eighteight remarked with a smile while Sixsix and Sevenseven loaded their ship. Part of their payment also included fuel for their ship so that they could leave this planet.

‘Then we’ll probably continue bounty hunting. I know I will. I just love the profession too much’ Ben nodded in understanding. Asking her to stop being a bounty hunter would be like asking him to stop being a hero.

“Well, it’s been fun. Take care of yourself guys as he held out a hand.

Eighteight took it and hugged him?! The person who wouldn’t even give him a high-five was hugging him.

‘You know, I noticed you still haven’t named your Sotoraggian form. Ever think about Tenten?’ She said as she released him.

Ben simply stared. “It was right there! I’m Ben **10** , it should’ve been so easy. I can’t believe I was so dumb”.

Eighteight laughed ‘Thank you for giving us this opportunity Ben. It’s thanks to you my little sister is safe and sound. Goodbye’ Eighteight said before getting on the ship. Sixsix and Sevenseven waved while growling goodbyes before the ship door closed and they took off.

Rook arrived “Enjoy fraternizing with our enemies?” he said with a smile.

“Please, as if you weren’t fraternising with them either. Don’t think I didn’t see you and Sevenseven take off to the AUTO show that one time. So where do we go from here?”

Rook shrugged. “Our orders from Magister Tennyson are to find out as much about this Quirk Integration Project as we can and with you working at a high school, I wager we will be here for at least the next three years”.

Just then the radio of the Proto-TRUK went off about how there was a villain holding two people hostage and the Pros unable to do anything. Ben and Rook looked at each other.

“No. Ben let the Pros handle it” Rook tried to reason.

“Rook, the Pros are already handling it. I think they need to see how a real hero operates”.

Rook sighed as Ben pressed the Omnitrix covered in that familiar green light.

* * *

“Are you certain, Sensei?”

“Positive, Tomura. When I sense a Quirk, I analyse every last detail and I do believe I sensed a restoration Quirk. However, getting it may be a problem”.

“Huh but why?!”

“Whoever possesses that Quirk is in the hands of the Yakuza, a dying breed but a formidable one”.

“So let’s just bust in there and grab the guy”.

“Tomura, remember patience is a virtue. If we attack now, we could risk everything if the leader is who I suspect he is” Tomura slumped like a child.

“However, I do believe that if we play our cards right, we will be able to take our, how would you put it, white mage? We should be able to retrieve our white mage without taking any unnecessary risks, especially if we use our two new Plumbers to help us” All For One grinned viciously.

“But remember what I said about patience, Tomura. It’s all about waiting for the right opportunity to strike”.

“If you say so, Sensei”.

The Plumbers didn’t know it yet but now that Adrian was out of the picture, all he needed was that blonde buffoon out of his way and his plans would move along quite nicely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's part 2 and the finale to season 1. So to the surprise of no one, this is a dad for one fic. I've always loved the theory that Midoriya is both the Symbol of Peace's successor as well as the son of the greatest supervillain in the world (though that part is now disputable considering the Ben 10 universe is a part of this now). 
> 
> So I think I should probably tell my plans for the near future in regards to season 2. First of all, both Adrian and the Sotoraggians are out of the picture. They might get a mention here or there but I do not have any plans for them so far. Secondly, just as season 1 was mainly focused on Ben and his problems, season 2 is going to be focused on Midoriya. Mainly because I'm tackling MHA canon territory now instead of that 10 month time skip. As such I don't exactly have plans for Ben and Rook because I'm focusing not just on Midoriya but also Bakugou and U.A.
> 
> My exams/assignments are going to be finished in about 10 days so I'll have a lot more time to write but tell me who you want to see next season. It might not make a difference because I've got a fair idea of what I'm going to be including but I am curious to see what you guys think. Tell me what you thought of this 'season' and what I could do to make the next one better.


	11. Where They Are Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to ThisIsRidiculous for recommending this fic on TvTropes. So, it's been a while, huh? Y'know especially considering I promised you guys that I would be updating more frequently, ha ha. OK so what happened was I thought I was going to have a break because there was a two-week break between classes but then university decided we could be more productive with our time and gave us a bunch of assignments to do. And now, if you can do the math, university is back in session for me. So yeah, this took a bit longer than I thought and I'm sorry for leading you guys on. The good news is that I have got a significant portion of the next chapter done so it's not going to be another month before I update again.

It had been an interesting few months since the incident. OK not really. Ben returned to his job at U.A. and had started training Bakugou while Rook tried making leads on whatever project they had. Midoriya however, returned to his school work, breaking pillars of ice (which was far more easy now that he had Stone Cutter) and cleaning up the garbage dump.

The only thing interesting was that he’d somehow managed to lose one of his earlier Quirk Analysis notebooks. No. 5 but he was sure it was around. Well, that and the fact that Bakugou had started attending therapy but that was bound to happen sooner or later. Although he still didn’t know why he had to attend therapy as well.

It was fine, really. Boring meant their lives weren’t in danger but Izuku couldn’t deny the feeling of wanting more. He tried to tag along with Ben but his attempts were shut down every time. It made sense, what with the Entrance Exam only 3 months away but still.

‘I wish something exciting would happen already’ Izuku thought as he dumped a large engine into the truck.

“HEY!” an angry voice called out to him.

Izuku turned to the sound of the voice and found a pink-haired girl with two big- no Izuku, bad. Said girl was glaring at him as if he had offended her.

‘Oh no, can she read minds? I’m sorry for being perverted!’ Izuku thought.

However, the girl merely gave him a quizzical look.

“OK, I uh don’t know why your making those expressions but what are you doing with that engine?”

Midoriya turned to the engine and hesitantly pointed at it

“Yes, that engine! It would be the perfect engine for one of my babies and-” she said before getting real close to his face.

‘Does this girl have no idea what personal space means? Wait why does she need an engine for a baby?’ Izuku thought.

“YOU’RE JUST GONNA THROW IT AWAY?!” she yelled.

“Look Ms.”

“Hatsume and drop the Ms. We’re probably the same age.”

“Look Hatsume, I’m just moving garbage off the beach. If you want the engine, you can take it for your... baby” Izuku said that last part with a blush.

“REALLY?!”

Midoriya nodded.

“Thank you! Come along then.”

“Wait what?”

“You’re a gentleman, aren’t ya? Well shouldn’t a gentleman like yourself be able to carry my engine. I certainly can’t do it”.

Midoriya looked at her with disbelief before sighing in resignation and carrying the engine.

Hatsume grinned “That’s the spirit, lackey!”

“It’s Midoriya, Midoriya Izuku”.

“Whatever you say, lackey” Hatsume said as they continued walking to her house.

When they got there, Midoriya was finally able to carefully drop the engine and sigh in relief.

“Hm. You handled that better than I thought you would. I was certain you’d have to take a break at least a few times on the way but you just did it” Hatsume said in interest before she began feeling him up.

Midoriya sported a massive blush “W-w-what are you doing?!”

“I’m feeling you up, duh. Hm, yes you are much more built than you look”.

“Please stop”.

“Hey, lackey how’d you like to be my guinea pig?” she says as she finally stopped feeling him up.

“For what?” Midoriya was almost too afraid to ask.

“Why for my babies, of course!” she seemed to be very excited.

“B-babies?!”

Hatsume merely smiled and pressed a button on the door causing a pile of gadgets to slip out.

“All of these are my wonderful babies! Of course I never leave home without some of my children” she said as she pulled out a jetpack, a laser and was that an eye? More importantly where did she pull those from?!’

“Why, from this of course” she grinned as she held up the eye.

“It’s my hammerspace projector and allows me to send things to a pocket dimension for easier mobility. Isn’t it great?!”

Midoriya looked at the eye with an uneasy expression before quirking an eyebrow. “Wait so if you had this thing on you, you could’ve just gotten the engine by yourself”

“Uh huh” she said as if she didn’t acknowledge or care that she had just wasted his time.

“... I’m leaving”

Hatsume’s grin finally vanished and was replaced with something he couldn’t quite place. “No wait, Midoriya, I’m sorry! I just really wanted someone to test my babies for the Entrance Exam to U.A”.

Midoriya paused “U.A? You’re applying for that school as well”.

“Yep! If I want to make it big, I have to graduate from the best school in the country, right? Besides, you could help get my babies get some recognition if I made you support items”.

Midoriya paused to think. On the one hand, just looking at the assortment of her gadgets showed that she would be a good ally to have in the future. On the other hand, he didn’t really like the idea of spending time with a person who would gladly treat him as a pack mule. He weighed the pros and cons but eventually... con won out.

“Goodbye Hatsume!” Midoriya turned to leave.

“Wait! Please, look through my babies, I’m sure they’ll be something to your liking.” Hatsume was starting to sound desperate. Why did she even want him anyway?

Midoriya turned towards her and sighed. However, now that he got a good look at that jetpack...

“Is this modeled after Air Jet’s jetpack?!”

“Ah, so you know your heroes. Of course I made a few additions of my ow-”

“And that staff is clearly modeled after Sun Wukong’s. Can it extend?”

“Of course it can, who do you take me for?”.

Midoriya took a look at a cybernetic arm that was in the back “No way. Is this what I think it is?”

“Slasher’s original cybernetic arm after losing it against Bonecrusher. I managed to acquire it from a pawn shop and it has been the basis of many of my inventions, including this!” She opened the closet and revealed, a mech suit?!

Midoriya was overwhelmed. Despite her eccentricities, this girl was just as much of a geek as he was.

“OK Hatsume, I’ll test your ‘babies’ at the beach but you have to bring them to me”.

“Yes! I guess I won’t be needing this anymore” she replied pulling out a notebook. Specifically Quirk Analysis for the Future No. 5.

Midoriya was unnerved as he took back his notebook.

“Hatsume?”

“Yeah”.

“I lost this two weeks ago. Have you been stalking me since then?”

“Yep.” Well at least she’s honest.

“Now come along new best friend. We’ve got babies to test”, she said with a grin on her face.

Midoriya sighed. Well he had wanted something interesting to happen after all. He had just hoped it would be a villain attack and not a stalker girl with no sense of personal space.

* * *

Rook sighed in frustration. Adrian still wasn’t talking. They had managed to regain a device with information regarding the Quirk Integration Project on it but it was completely encrypted and every attempt to decrypt it failed.

Ben had used Pesky Dust but to no avail. If it was in Adrian’s mind, it had been locked away so that even he had no idea what to do. It seemed Hisashi had been the one calling all the shots on this project but with him paralyzed, it was unlikely that he would be able to help. Or rather Rook had tried to get Hisashi to co-operate but he had rather inconveniently lost all memories of the project.

Besides Rook still felt uneasy around the man. He warmed up considerably whenever he was with his family but outside of that, something about that warmth turned fake. A disguise to hide how cold and calculating the man could really be.

But as it is, he couldn’t really do anything and as such had nothing to do. As much as he hated to admit it, he sympathised with Ben’s wishes for something more exciting to happen. Although at least Ben had found other uses of his time, like working at the high school or training Bakugou. Rook was just stuck staring at a wall. Perhaps he could take Rayona out on a date?

Although now that he mentioned it, Rook was wondering how Ben was training Bakugou. Surely Ben was taking it easy on the middle schooler. Especially considering said middle schooler was able to be defeated by his human form. He trusted his partner but a little call to check on how the training was going wouldn’t hurt, right?

“What do you mean he had a panic attack?!”

* * *

When Bakugou finally had confirmation from Deku that Tennyson had agreed to train him he was, well he wasn’t elated but he was pretty fucking happy. After all being trained by such a versatile foe would make becoming number one, that much easier.

After all if there was one weakness of his that he had to concede, it was that his Quirk was too circumstantial. It was still a fucking awesome Quirk but against villains who could absorb energy, freeze things or just outright tank his explosions like nothing, well he contributed exactly the same as shitty Deku would in that situation. That’s not even getting into the more weird Quirks out there that, as much as he hated to admit, put his to shame.

So yeah, Tennyson training him was a good way to circumvent this. Of course he hadn’t known how much it would fucking suck!

Training effectively amounted to Tennyson transforming into one of his ‘aliens’ (he didn’t care what Tennyson called them, it was all one fucking Quirk) and then beating the shit out of him.  
Thinking back to their first meeting of training still pissed him off.

_First training started much like their first fight. Abandoned warehouse, Tennyson makes a few snarky comments etc. The only difference is that this time Tennyson actually bothered to transform._

_“You wanted to fight Heatblast first, right”? He asked before transforming into the fiery rock monster._

_“Flame on!” he yelled before blasting Bakugou with a fireball. Bakugou growled before letting out explosion after explosion, only for Tennyson to absorb them. There weren’t even any char marks around the place._

_“Tch, should’ve known that wouldn’t work. Good thing I at least have the mobility advantage” Bakugou schemed before propelling himself into the air with his Quirk._

_However, as soon as Bakugou was in the air, Heatblast propelled himself with his flamethrowers and he seemed to have experience in aerial fights. His movements were fluid and Bakugou found himself having made contact with Heatblast’s foot before he could react sending him hurtling towards the ground._

_“Hm. I suppose that was a bit rough for your first fight. I probably need to actually give you a chance”._

_Bakugou stewed in his anger. He couldn’t do anything and he was being looked down upon._

_‘Is this what Deku feels like? It fucking sucks!’ he thought. However, just like Deku he refused to give up in the face of adversity and braced himself for the next form._

_Said form was a small brown rodent with a moustache. Of course because why the fuck not, right?!_

_“I dare say, Mr. Bakugou but I can positively feel your aggression from here” the rodent said in a british accent for some reason?_

_Bakugou calmed down. ‘You know what? Tennyson’s underestimating me, I can use that to my advantage. Besides it will be fun blowing up Tennyson for once. I wonder what his burnt hair smells like? And does it have to use conditioner? It is a pretty sweet mustache.’ He cut off that train of thought and looking towards Tennyson with a grin._

_“Oh, are you finished strategizing for our combat? I dare say, a real villain would not give you the time to articulate a well-thought plan but I am a gentleman first and a gentleman must always-” the rodent started to ramble and Bakugou felt this was as good an opportunity as any._  
_He let out a gigantic explosion and yelled “DIE!”, shaking the walls as he did so. He let out a victorious smirk but was unprepared for what came next._

_The rodent had shapeshifted his mustache into helicopter blades so that he could fly over the explosion._

_“A magnificent show of power Mr. Bakugou. Unfortunately, your attack was easily telegraphed and as such I could easily avoid it in time”._

_Bakugou started seething with fury. OK, so the rodent could fly. He could fly too and he could tell from the rodent’s movements that it was far slower than he was, even when he first learnt how to fly. Putting both hands to the ground, Bakugou released his Quirk and yelled “DIE, you fucking rodent!”_

_However, just as he was about to reach Tennyson, the rodent’s mustache shapeshifted from helicopter blades to fists and connected with his face, sending him backwards into the ground... again._

_Bakugou wouldn’t be deterred and ran towards Tennyson with his hands outstretched, sparks flying off them. The rodent noticed him though and shapeshifted one of the fists of his mustache into a shield to block him._

_“Tough shit, Tennyson because the thing about hair is that it burns!” Bakugou yelled, fully prepared to burn through the rodent’s mustache. However, he felt something on his leg._

_‘Oh. That’s why he only shapeshifted one fist’ Bakugou thought as he was promptly tripped up by the fist and then held into the air._

_“I must say, dear Bakugou. You are quite a disappointment. Out of all of my alien forms, Mole-stache is one of the more unsatisfactory ones and yet you have still failed to land a single blow” Mole-stache said._

_Bakugou growled and tried to let out another explosion but Tennyson dropped him on his ass._

_“Perhaps an alien with a similar temperament will be more to your liking” Mole-stache said before hitting the hourglass symbol on his belt._

_The rodent had been replaced by a giant, humanoid tiger in a wrestler’s outfit._

_“LEMME TELL ‘YA SOMETHING, KATSUKI BAKUGOU! RATH IS GONNA SHOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LOSE!” the tiger yelled._

_Bakugou smirked “Hell yeah, you are” before letting out another gigantic explosion. His hands were starting to hurt but at least he finally got a hit on Tennyson. Even if he didn’t win, he still had that victory. That is to say until, Bakugou saw Rath had no injuries. The area around him was charred but even his wrestler’s outfit seemed to be unaffected by the attack._

_Rath looked at him and growled. ‘Oh shit’._

_And so what ensued was Bakugou getting the crap beat out of him by a very-strong, nigh-invulnerable tiger person. He doesn’t even know how long it was. He was trying too hard to minimize the damage. Of course, when Tennyson timed out, he was in shock and apologised for letting Rath get carried away. Bakugou of course was too tired to respond but then the Omnitrix had finished it’s charge time._

_“I’ve got just the thing” Ben said before being transforming. After the light died down, Bakugou was surprised to see a more feminine form of Tennyson’s. It even gave Pesky Dust a run for its money. This was a dainty, pale humanoid with stringy, blue hair wearing a green robe. It could almost pass for human if it wasn’t for the head. Chin up was fairly normal. Pale skin, dainty lips, etc. Pretty standard stuff until the forehead._

_The eyes, well first there were three of them but they were small and almost entirely white. There was blue pupils in them but other than that, they were entirely white. And the form also had parallel antennae. It also had sharp ears but compared to the previous two, that feature wasn’t as prevalent. The hourglass symbol was on a nurse’s hat on her head._

_“I call this form Medicura” it said. It even had a feminine voice! Medicura put it’s hands towards Bakugou and started glowing blue energy._

_Suddenly Bakugou started to feel rejuvenated. His bruises started healing by themselves and he regained his lost stamina. Even the self-inflicted damage to his hands had been healed. Within minutes, Bakugou was restored to the state he was in before training started. He grinned._

_This form of Tennyson’s was clearly not suited to combat. It was more suited to healing others and had only been brought out to heal him so it probably didn’t have any offensive capabilities._

_Bakugou let out an explosion at the effeminate healer and was proved right. Medicura didn’t have any offensive capabilities. Medicura did however, have the ability to project force-fields through his hands._

_“I see you’re as grateful as you normally are” Medicura snarked coldly, their eyes glowing blue._

_Bakugou growled at his failure. Well, this wasn’t the first time a forcefield got in his way. Bakugou grabbed onto it and started blasting it with his Quirk. The forcefield started to crack under pressure._

_“Just a little more” Bakugou started punching the barrier. The cracks started to grow larger. Finally, the barrier broke._

_“Yes!”_

_“No.” Medicura said as they gave an unimpressed look and sidestepped the wannabe hero. They waved their hands towards Bakugou, creating another barrier which sent him flying._

_To add insult to injury, Medicura healed him that time as well and he-she-they were definitely looking at him with pity._

_“Are you ok?”_

_“Yes, I’m fucking ok!” Bakugou growled before using his Quirk to fly at the healer, only to land face-first into another barrier. The rest of that fight was more of the same. Bakugou would get pissed and fly at the healer, Medicura would summon a barrier, he’d break the barrier only for the healer to summon two or three more to send him flying, then he’d get healed, pissed and try and get to the healer._

_Eventually the Omnitrix timed out and they would have to wait for it to recharge. Sure, Bakugou could attack Tennyson now but he’d also found out that any wounds Tennyson sustained would also apply to his ‘alien forms’ and vice versa. Defeating them while they had a handicap would be entirely meaningless and Tennyson knew it judging from the smug smile on his face._

_So Bakugou stewed in silence. Maybe he should’ve attacked Tennyson so as to prevent the next fight from happening. None of the previous fights made him feel as powerless and as helpless as the next one._

_It started out like the previous fights. Tennyson would say some smartass comment about Bakugou being so weak or whatever. He turned into an alien form by random. It had to be because he wasn’t even looking at his watch. The form was apparently called Goop and it was just some green blob with a disk above him. That was probably his weak point given that the sludge followed it._

_Bakugou grinned. He guessed Goop had no internal organs after Bakugou blasted him to kingdom come, only for Goop to pull himself together._

_“Congratulations, you finally did some damage”._

_Bakugou frowned. Something about this situation didn’t feel right but he didn’t know why. Bakugou doing no damage to Tennyson? Check. Tennyson making some smartass comment? Check. Something about the situation just made him feel uneasy and he was sweating for some reason but it was probably just him exerting himself and the multiple asskickings finally taking their toll. He had a target, he just needed to hit it!_

_Bakugou flew towards Goop and Goop easily dodged. However, Bakugou wasn’t aiming for the blob as the explosion went towards the tiny disk but alas it evaded his attack._

_“Damn it!”._

_Bakugou started letting out blasts rapid-fire not even caring if he hit the disk or not. The blasts started sparking fires around the room but he didn’t care. Goop, however, did care and was trying to put them out with his sludge._

_“You’re wide open!” Bakugou yelled, charging at Goop but Goop wasn’t having any of it and grabbed him out of the air._

_“Look, I know you’re desperate for a win but don’t burn down the warehouse while doing it!” Goop yelled._

_Bakugou wasn’t listening. He now understood why he felt uneasy throughout the fight with Goop. His breathing became erratic as he became surrounded by sludge. The fires around the area, looking awfully familiar._

_He couldn’t breathe! Why couldn’t he breathe?! It was like he was drowning. Bakugou started thrashing around, trying to escape from the monster’s grip. His Quirk constantly active._

_‘Why isn’t anyone helping?! Somebody please help. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die’._

_Bakugou’s vision started to blur and he started hyperventilating._

_‘Somebody please help me. Anyone. Even Deku just as long as I don’t...’ was the last thought he had before blacking out._

_When Bakugou woke up, the fires had been dealt with and Medicura was looking at him with concern._

_“Are you alright?” the healer asked, their features etched with worry._

_“How long was I out?” Bakugou asked._

_“Just a few minutes. As I was putting out the fires...” ‘that you created’ went unsaid. “... you started hyperventilating. All of a sudden, you started holding your breath and your body temperature started to decrease. I had to perform CPR on you” Bakugou felt himself blush at that but Medicura didn’t seem to care._

_“May I ask what happened?”_

_“...”_

_“Bakugou” Medicura said in a tone that was both concerned and assertive. One that was clearly demanding answers but for his good or some shit like that._

_“I don’t know, OK!” Bakugou growled. “It’s just when you grabbed me with that slime monster, I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was drowning and I was powerless to stop it”._

_“Drowning? But that doesn’t make any sense. I made sure, Goop’s goop stayed out of your airways. Why on earth- oh.” Medicura’s eyes widened before the Omnitrix timed out._

_“Dude, I’m sorry.”_

_“Huh. The fuck are you sorry for?”_

_“I didn’t realize...” Ben’s eyes went to the ground._

_“You didn’t realize what, Tennyson?”_

_“That you were still suffering from the Sludge Villain”. You could hear a pin drop from the silence that followed._

_Bakugou laughed “The Sludge Villain! It’s been months since that incident. There’s no fucking way I’d still be affected by it”._

_Ben looked up incredulously “Really? Are you so sure?”_

_“Yeah, I haven’t thought back to it in ages, it’s perfectly fine. You’re just delusional”. Of course Bakugou still had the occasional nightmare about the incident but he wasn’t going to let Tennyson know that._

_“Well, if I’m delusional you can provide a perfectly fine reason as to why you only panicked when faced with a similar opponent to the Sludge Villain”._

_“Look, it’s been a tough day. I’ve had my ass kicked a lot”._

_“And yet the only form you reacted to with fear was the one made of sludge”_

_“SHUT UP!”_

_“Look, I don’t need you reading into this. The only reason I’m here is to get some help on taking down problematic opponents. If you aren’t going to help me, I’ll just leave”._

_“I am going to help you but dude. You had a near-death experience. It’s normal to get therapy after something like that, especially when you were only 14 years old. Have you talked to anyone about it?”_

_“Oh yeah? You’re just some big hero aren’t ya? How ‘bout you quit being a hypocrite and just train me, already?”_

_“Hypocrite?!” Ben responded with offence._

_“Yeah. Deku told me, you started heroing at 10. I bet there were a lot of near death and traumatic experiences during that time but you don’t have a therapist, do you?” Bakugou said with a smug grin._

_“... I do have a therapist”_

_Bakugou did a double-take “What?”_

_“I do have a therapist. I’m sure Midoriya also told you that I was on a road trip with my grandpa and cousin at the time. Do you really think any adult would be irresponsible enough to just leave me to my own devices after my life was threatened every week?”_

_“But Deku...”_

_“Never told you? No because I never told him. I didn’t think it was important enough. An error on my part but allow me to tell you something he doesn’t know... yet” Ben said before putting a hand on Bakugou’s shoulder_

_“Every city we travelled to, my grandpa had a meeting reserved with a therapist so that we could unload all that had happened. Man, I really hated those meetings. I had to pretend our experiences were just some coping mechanism and it wasted my vacation time but it helped. I’d probably be way more twisted if I didn’t go”._

_Bakugou didn’t say anything. He just had to process this information. The super powerful vigilante who easily defeated him not once but five separate times (six if you count the panic attack) attended therapy. The guy who treated everything like a joke and looked down on everyone attended therapy. The guy with an ego so big he called himself “saviour of the whole entire universe” attended- actually when he puts it like that no shit the guy attends therapy._

_“Yeah well just because you need it sure as hell doesn’t mean I do”_

_“Oh but you do. That is if you want our training to continue”_

_“What?!” Bakugou yelled in shock._

_“If you want me to keep training you, you’re gonna have to attend therapy.”_

_Bakugou just stared ahead, weighing the pros and cons. Getting tips on how to be number one faster with the caveat of one hour of mandatory therapy a week or being surrounded by idiots who would never amount to anything and he is improperly prepared for when he faces another opponent that has a Quirk that perfectly counters his. It was a no brainer._

_“Ffffine. I’ll attend your shitty therapy”._

_Ben smirked. “Great. Two to beam up!”_

_“Wait, what?”_

_But the two had already been teleported into some place with green walls. Across the room there were two small things bickering with each other._

_“He said ‘two to beam up’!”_

_“No he didn’t”_

_“Yes he did”_

_“I actually did Driba” Ben said._

_The thinner of the two looked at Ben and said “That’s what I said”_

_“No it isn’t!”_

_“Yes it is!”_

_“Ah you are just impossible to deal with”_

_“... no I’m not”_

_As the two midgets continued arguing, Bakugou turned to Ben “What the FUCK is this place?!”_

_“This is Plumbers HQ. Katsuki Bakugou, welcome to my world” Ben said as he made a gesture while he walked out of the room._

_“Wait up!” Bakugou raced after Tennyson and was faced with a bunch of mutation Quirk users. And by a bunch he meant every single person had a mutation Quirk of some kind. He saw walking fish, rodents, fairies, horned people, a purple gorilla, humanoids with different coloured skin and... a sludge person. Bakugou instinctively backed away when he saw her. He also noted that a lot of the different Plumbers were actually forms Ben could turn into._

_“Well, well, well if it isn’t Ben Tennyson” a large red man approached him. Bakugou recognized him from Deku’s notebook. Ben called the form “Four Arms”, right? What a stupid name._

_“I heard you became a teacher. The hell are you doing back here?”_

_“Well I had to see that you didn’t throw another space station out of orbit, of course”_

_‘What? Another as in that’s actually fucking happened before’ Bakugou thought incredulously._

_“Hey, that was mainly your fault!”_

_“Was it though?”_

_“Yeah it was. Now who’s the shrimp?”_

_“Well, Manny meet Katsuki Bakugou. One of my students and in dire need of a psych evaluation”_

_“The FUCK did you just say?!” Bakugou yelled._

_“Yeah, I can see that” Manny’s eyes narrowed. “You do know the only reason we let you get away with this kinda stuff is because you’re too valuable to let go, right”._

_Ben went to answer but Manny stopped him “Don’t answer that.”_

_“Relax, the only reason he’s here is because it’s nearly time for my own and it’d be quicker this way. Don’t tell grandpa, I’m here ok?”_

_“Oh and here I thought my grandson was checking up on me” an old man said behind Tennyson._

_Bakugou didn’t think it was possible for Tennyson to turn that pale. He mouthed something like ‘Damn it’ under his breath and turned around._

_“Hey grandpa!” He waved “I uh thought you had to stabilize the continuum in Los Soledad”_

_“Already done and don’t change the subject, Ben. Why have you brought a student into our base?”_

_“Well, I already told Manny and I’m pretty sure you’ve been standing there for the entire time”._

_“Ben” he said in a tone that indicated Tennyson’s grandpa wasn’t going to tolerate any more bullshit._

_“I’m just following in your footsteps, ok?”_

_“And what exactly is that supposed to mean”_

_“Someone needs psychiatric help and I’m taking him to get it” Ben said twiddling his fingers together._

_“And you had to take him to Plumbers HQ to do that instead of taking him to therapist in his hometown”._

_“That’ll happen later but I was kinda hoping if I showed him other alien species, he’d finally believe I’m Quirkless”._

_“... I knew it. There’s always some ulterior motive to your actions.” Max said disappointed while Manny simply uttered an “unbelievable” under his breath._

_Bakugou simply watched the whole conversation play out. It seemed unreal to think that the usually confident, arrogant and completely unashamed vigilante would turn out to be so... meek and embarrassed. He almost seemed like a real person instead of just an obstacle in his path, now._

_“Look, I know it sounds bad but he needs a Plumber psychiatrist”._

_“And just why would a Plumber help more than a regular therapist?”_

_“Because Goop gave him a panic attack!”_

_Max’s eyes widened._

_“Hm. Perhaps, what is your name?”_

_“Katsuki Bakugou” he said in a rigid voice._

_“Perhaps Katsuki would benefit from a Plumber. After all it was a Plumber that found caused this and if he’s been having panic attacks because he’s made contact with aliens, he would serve to benefit more from a person who works with them. Come on, Katsuki”. Max said as they followed him to the psychiatric ward._

_He met with a blue skinned woman with both eyes on the left side of her face and an additional frontal lobe. Her head looked weird but apparently it gave her empathic abilities. Bakugou later found out that the woman’s name was Kr’lk._

_Kr’lk had this aura around her that made it extremely easy it trust her yet Bakugou still didn’t want to talk about the incident. However, roughly half an hour of meaningless drabble later and Bakugou felt it would be best to talk about it despite his own feelings._

_And so he told her. About how he was nearly drowned by the Sludge Villain. About his interactions with Tennyson, leading up to the training. About his pathetic freak out, when faced with Goop. By the end of it, Bakugou had expended his information and several tears._

_Kr’lk told him it was alright to feel vulnerable in this situation, how it was normal and blah blah blah. All cliche bullshit that you’d expect. However, what he didn’t expect was her telling him that he should try relaxation methods to start with. That he clearly had some anxiety and anger issues and that these are a big part of his trigger._

_So apparently learning to relax will decrease his anxiety and anger which may be the first step to getting control over this. Getting a hold on this will mean he’s well on his way to becoming number 1. Maybe Tennyson had a point when he said therapy was important?_

And the rest is history. Apparently Tennyson’s partner called during Bakugou’s blackout and called his parents. Once they were actually filled in on the situation, they responded differently from what he’d expect. His dad of course was all for it but the old hag actually was supportive. Huh. Bakugou was sure she’d go on about how Katsuki was so weak and mock him, maybe even whack him but no the bitch was actually supportive and had no qualms paying for therapy.

That happened about a month ago. Bakugou continued his therapy and training with Tennyson and felt he was slowly getting better. He was still uneasy against sludge monsters but he wasn’t constantly angry anymore.

Deku had muttered that “Kacchan was calmer for some reason” and immediately understood when he found out his friend was taking therapy. It’s almost like the bastard thought it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Of course, he’s still fucking pissed right now because currently he’s stuck on the ground and paralysed. Apparently it’s a side effect of one of ‘Jetray’s’ neuroshock beams. Whatever the hell that meant.

“Oh, you’re still on the ground” Ben said as he came back.

“No shit I’m still on the ground, you paralysed me you asshole!” Bakugou said.

“Well, yeah but everyone I’ve tried it on usually escapes it in seconds” Ben slurped his smoothy.

Great another reminder how weak he was. Bakugou felt his eyes roll. Wait.

“Where did you get that smoothy?”

“Bellwood?” Bellwood as in his hometown in America?

“You flew to a completely different country for a smoothy” Bakugou said incredulously.

“Well, duh, Mr. Smoothy hasn’t expanded to Japan yet. Also greatest change to the timeline is that it’s finally back to the way it was before the incident”.

“How did you even do that?” Bakugou asked as he felt the paralysis wear off. “Do you have a teleportation alien or is one of your aliens just that fast?”

“Oh, I didn’t realise we were talking about the next form to kick your ass” Ben said as he pointed to the scoreboard they had placed in the warehouse. It reading Bakugou: 5 Tennyson: 46.

“Yeah, whatever. I’m slowly gaining on you” Bakugou grinned as he cracked his knuckles.

“One of those victories was Walkatrout, the only alien without any powers. Seriously my base form is better than that”.

“Oh quit complaining. A win is a win!” Bakugou yelled before smirking. There were three months til the U.A. Entrance Exam and he was going to use every asset he had access to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so onto the chapter itself, not much happens in the first 'episode' of 'season 2'. This chapter was less about plot progression and more about identifying what the characters are up to currently, hence the title. And if you're not into that, well unfortunately the next chapter isn't much better though it focuses entirely on a character that hasn't yet be introduced. However, it's all to set things up. As you can see I got to use that idea I had for Ben 10 VS Bakugou! But also I'm taking a sort of different route with Bakugou's character, namely the fact that he's got PTSD. How will this affect him for the future? Who knows? What I will say is that Bakugou is still the same bully he is in canon. Him having PTSD is in no way going to make up for his actions especially considering his personality before and after the incident is pretty similar. However, the fact that he has a therapist helping him through his problems is going to somewhat change his personality onwards but at a very slow pace.


	12. Hagakure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just say that for the record, university is a bitch and because it's a bitch I'm probably not going to get anything done for the next three weeks. I feel I could've done better with this chapter but I was already keeping you guys waiting for a chapter that's not even 3,000 words long so I'll just have to deal with it.

Hagakure felt she had a fairly normal life. Got her Quirk at age 4, saw a counselor on how to work around the minor inconveniences that came with it... like blindness. 

All things considered, Hagakure was lucky. She had a Quirk that could potentially ruin her life forever but thanks to a friend of her parents, Hisashi Midoriya, and some experimental and possibly illegal treatment, Hagakure could see again! Well practically. 

The problem with her Quirk was that light never reached her eyes so if she had any chance of seeing again, she’d need to allow her eyes to be seen again, which would be a huge disadvantage for hero work.

Uncle Hisashi did start by trying to alter the reflection or refraction (she could never remember which was which) of light for her eyes but unfortunately was unable to retain the sheer transparency of her body so he shifted gears. Instead of trying to get back her sight, he looked into methods that could enhance her other senses and maybe give her some new ones.

Hagakure had to be sedated for the treatment and she still doesn’t know the specifics of what he did but it worked! Her senses were supercharged. She could feel a person’s breath from a few meters away, hear certain tones that she shouldn’t be able to hear and in general she was able to construct the world around her without having to use sight. 

It was great. Her parents were elated and she had stopped being treated as an invalid at school. She made friends very easily after that, all because of her cool Quirk. Invisibility had its perks, once you got past it’s drawbacks. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. While her Quirk was certainly passable, the novelty of being constantly invisible started to wear off. She couldn’t evolve her Quirk so she was essentially stuck as the dumb, invisible girl. 

Her super senses also allowed her to detect when someone was lying thanks to their tone, a change in their breathing and feeling the change in their facial muscles. She could distinguish the difference between a liar and someone who was just uncomfortable though sometimes they overlapped.

For example one time in elementary school, she asked her friend Nagi a series of questions. They were innocuous to start with; “What’s your favourite power or who’s your favourite hero?” before getting deeper “Do you think I can still be a hero?”

Nagi was clearly uncomfortable and it was Hagakure’s fault for pushing her but when she lied to that last one, she didn’t take it well.

“Uh. Sure thing, Hagakure”. Heartbeat had elevated and Nagi’s voice had a slightly higher tone.

“You’re lying” Her tone cold and her cheeks wet.

“What-”

“You’re lying! I can tell. W-why don’t you think I c-can become a hero?” Hagakure started to sob.

For her part, Nagi leaned in and tried to comfort Hagakure but only made things worse. “It’s just your Quirk isn’t very useful for heroing. Sure you can hide from villains but fighting them? You’re practically Quirkless once anyone finds you and I think it would be better if you just let others do the fighting”

“S-sh-shut up!” 

But Nagi kept going “I’m not saying your Quirk’s useless. You could be a spy like Jason Bond. Wouldn’t that be cool? You’d get to use lots of spy tech and drive fancy cars. It’s practically like being a hero but-”.

“I’m not going to be a spy, Nagi! I’m gonna be a hero.” Hagakure said in a small voice. Spies had never been an option for her. It was a job that revolved around deceit and deception. It was such a villainous occupation and she didn’t want to go anywhere near it. Besides even if she did, she hadn’t the faintest of where to start.

“What was that?”

“I’m gonna be a hero!” Hagakure yelled before storming out of the room.

“That idiot’s going to get herself killed” she heard Nagi say before leaving.

Looking back on it, Hagakure was an impulsive and whiny brat. She threw a tantrum and outed herself as being a lie detector. After that people straight up started making an effort to ignore her instead of being cordial to her. They were too afraid, she’d rip them apart.

Her parents, for their part entered her into a Krav Maga course to help her achieve her goal. Of course they also preferred it if she went into a less dangerous profession but they supported her. Uncle Midoriya didn’t seem to care . He supported her dreams but hated the Pro Hero business with a passion. He was always calling it the government’s method of indoctrinating children for their cause. He also teasingly brought up Nagi’s spy idea, despite the fact that she would be indoctrinated all the same.

One day, Uncle took her to see his son. The kid was her age and Quirkless. Hagakure is ashamed to admit it but finding someone weaker than her, she liked it. There was finally someone who couldn’t judge her for her weak Quirk. He also had a lot of notebooks on Quirks. He was writing in his fourth when she brought it up.

“Hey Midoriya, why do you take so many notes on Quirks?”

Midoriya looked up, his breathing hitched as if he had been caught doing something villainous.

“W-well everyone needs a hobby right?”

Midoriya was clearly nervous but he was also lying.

“Liar. Try again” Hagakure said in a teasing tone.

“Wait. Your Quirk gives you invisibility and you can tell when someone’s lying?” And then Midoriya evaded the topic by muttering up a storm about her Quirk. She had to admit, it was nice having someone go in-depth about her Quirk.

“It’s unlikely that she has two Quirks, Dad said both of her parent’s Quirks were invisibility in one way or form. However, those were transformation Quirks, while Hagakure’s is a mutation Quirk. Not that you could tell from the photos. However, if light is constantly bending around her, then it must not be hitting her eyes. If that’s the case she would’ve been blind since her Quirk manifested at the age of four or even younger ergo her body likely amplified her other senses to compensate for lost sight” Midoriya looked to her.

“Ah, that’s mostly right” she said ‘Since when did this turn into an interrogation of me?’

“So I got something wrong?!”

“Yeah. Maybe my body would’ve amplified my senses slightly but I still wouldn’t be able to walk around without equipment. Your dad did some experimental treatment on me and now I can practically see the world around me” She cheered. “Didn’t your dad tell you?”

She felt Midoriya make some kind of expression. 

Midoriya put his hand to his chin “I don’t actually know what Dad does for a living. He told me he was doing some kind of surgery thing but he never told me it was on you. Mom met him at a courthouse, where he was a prosecutor for some washed up hero called Electro” Midoriya’s tone became more cheerful at that bit. 

“His Quirk allowed him to absorb electricity through touch and then use himself as a human stun gun”. Hagakure face palmed. Of course he’d get excited at the topic of heroes even if they were washed up.

However, Midoriya quickly returned to the topic at hand “I also think he might be involved in the media somehow. He’s always dropping off these magazines from this specific company. I never asked for them but they’re good”.

Now that she thought about it, what did her uncle do? Her parents said they worked for him but they were constantly overseas doing infiltration work. Hagakure shook off the uneasy feeling she felt and decided to change the topic.

“OK Midoriya but that still doesn’t answer my question, why do you really take so many notes on Quirks?”

Midoriya started to become embarrassed and he started making some weird gestures like shaking his hands in the air.

“Alright. You’re gonna find out eventually, no use prolonging the inevitable, right?”

Hagakure nodded. 

“Well, I’m Quirkless but I still want to be a hero. I can’t do much but I do have one skill; analysis. I’m kinda hoping that despite what everyone says my notes will be useful when I become a Hero.”

Hagakure said nothing at that moment. How on Earth could notes help when it came to being a hero? 

“Maybe being a Hero isn’t the best thing for you? May-” Hagakure started but was interrupted by Midoriya.

“Stop. I’ve heard it all before. ‘You can’t be a Hero without a Quirk’ Well I’m going to prove them wrong”.

“And how is your analysis going to help you?” she tried to argue.

“How is your invisibility going to help you in a fight?” Hagakure’s breath hitched. Midoriya didn’t know about her problems yet he hit the nail on the head. It was then that she realized she wasn’t any better than her classmates. Sure she got mocked for wanting to be a hero despite having a weak Quirk and yet. 

And yet the moment she found someone even less suited to heroism than her, she tried to play the morality card. ‘I’m just trying to stop him from getting himself killed’ she tried to reason yet the thought was hollow. Yes, Midoriya was unsuited for heroism but so was she. She didn’t have any reason to judge.

“It won’t” Hagakure said solemnly. Maybe it was time to pick a different career. Maybe her uncle could help her get into journalism. But before she could continue that train of thought Midoriya interrupted her.

“Liar. Try again”. 

“Wha-”

“Sure our skills aren’t offensive in nature but that doesn’t mean they’re useless. There are plenty of heroes out there that fall under the same category. Eraserhead, for example can erase Quirks”. Hagakure felt her eyes narrow.

“OK, sure that’s not an offensive Quirk but it’s still really useful, Midoriya”.

“Of course it is! But he can only erase emitter and transformation Quirks ergo, his Quirk would be completely useless against us”.

“Oh?”

“His Quirk only allows him to level the playing field and is completely useless against Quirkless people or mutation Quirks yet he still fights against mutation Quirk villains even if he’s at a disadvantage. Why because heroes fight even when they are at a disadvantage”. Midoriya said, determination dripping from his voice. 

Hagakure felt Midoriya’s conviction and desire to be a Hero emanating from him. Before she could say anything, Midoriya interrupted her again.

“Electro’s electricity absorption is great and all but there’s a time limit for him to use it and in an area where electricity is sparse, his Quirk is practically useless. Yet when the villain Earthly Grain tried to take advantage of that exact scenario, Electro was still able to beat him senseless and arrest him”.

“But wasn’t Electro washed up?” Hagakure asked.

“Yes, because he was an alcoholic deadbeat who kept cheating on his wife. Electro is washed up, not because his Quirk wasn’t good enough but because the person wasn’t good enough”.

Midoriya then went on to list even more heroes that were practically Quirkless and listed the situations that they found themselves in where they couldn’t rely on their Quirk. With each Hero, Hagakure felt her determination start to come back to her. 

“Of course, with you and I we’re constantly disadvantaged for hero work but that just means we have to work even harder than the rest of them, right” Midoriya gave her a wobbly smile. He was nervous but he believed every word he was saying.

“Right” Hagakure nodded. In spite of what everyone else said, she was going to become a hero and she wasn’t going to let anyone try and change her mind anymore. She bid farewell to Midoriya, giving him a big hug as thanks for showing her she could still be a hero. 

She visited Midoriya a few more times after that and the two would often talk about their progress. Hagakure showed him hert progress in Krav Maga and Midoriya would talk about Quirks. It was great. 

Then everything became not so great. Uncle got attacked, leaving him crippled and blind. She wanted to see how Midoriya was dealing with it but her parents said it was better if she left them alone. 

Then her mother got killed in an accident overseas and her father was left critically injured before entering intensive care. When asked if she had any family that could take her in, she gave the location of the Midoriya family, only they had moved so she had no one to go to. 

After that she got in contact with Uncle again, who promised to pay for her living expenses. She ended up in a small little apartment. Mold was abundant on the walls and she heard something about a murder. It was far from the best but it could be worse.

And yet despite all that had happened, Hagakure refused to give up. She’d make it big as a Hero and hopefully make enough to get her father and uncle alright again. So she trained herself to the bone. Some days she just blacked out because of how exhausted she was. She would make it into U.A and then she’d become a hero if not for her, than for her loved ones.

Or so she thought. The hospital eventually become overcrowded and needed to remove someone for a Pro Hero’s recovery. Her father having been admitted the longest and with no signs of recovery was the lucky one to be removed. It made sense but it sucked. Her dad didn’t deserve this. He deserved to get better. Why, why did this have to happen to her she thought as she cried for the loss of her father. 

That had been yesterday. Out of tears, Hagakure didn’t really know what to expect. She didn’t really feel sad anymore so much as empty or numb. Her uncle had gotten in touch with her and now she was walking to his bedside.

“I’m sorry. He didn’t deserve this” he said. 

“It’s alright. Why save a person nobody knows when you can save a celebrity, right?” Hagakure said.

“Hm. Well, we do need to talk about your future Toru”.

“Yes. I-I I want to go to U.A!”

Her uncle made a small growl. “Are you sure you still want to be a hero? Your father’s dead because of one”.

Hagakure grimaced “No. It’s not that Pro’s fault for being so injured that my father had to die. It’s whoever who attacked them. I want to be a hero to take villains like those down. I know I won’t be able to make a difference in the world but maybe I can minimize the damage. So that maybe a child doesn’t have to grow up like I did because I did my part”. She said as she shuffled her foot together.

Her uncle was silent for a moment. “Fine. I don’t like the idea of you putting yourself in unnecessary danger but I do admire your intent”.

Hagakure mood shifted and she felt... well, not happy but content. 

“Thank you, uncle” she said before walking out the door. 

When she was gone, Hisashi hear a voice coming from a screen in the bar. 

“What a waste. Her father’s dead because of society’s inclination for Heroes and she still wants to be one. Sensei I thought you said this was how we were going to infiltrate U.A and kill All Might.”

“It is Tomura. But my plan will have to have a few adjustments to it. I do hope you’ll trust me on this”.

“Fine” Tomura Shigaraki said as Hisashi tried thinking of what he could do to rectify this. He already had an idea in mind but before that Toru would have to get into U.A first. There was only two months left for the Entrance Exam to U.A.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so Hagakure is the character I was talking about. She's a character whom I have mixed feelings on in canon. I get that juggling 20 characters is hard and some sacrifices have to be made but to me she comes across as Ashido if Ashido's power was invisibility. Of course Ashido has more character to her but still. The fact that she blatantly violates her own universe's rules (i.e. she should be blind like Mirio is when he uses his Quirk) doesn't help and it seems like Horikoshi didn't really put too much thought into her character.
> 
> Then I realized the advantages to using a character with no character in the sense that I can do whatever I want with her. So her parents were villains, hence why they were buddies with good old AFO and she's going to be slightly darker in this story but hopefully not too dark. Anyway there should be one more chapter before the Entrance Exam. I'll try and get it out within a month but I wouldn't count on it. Oh and the fact that Hisashi has stayed in contact with her is going to be a key point, not in this season because this is more establishing life at U.A, the Heroes vs Villains exercise and the USJ but don't worry it is going to come up.
> 
> As always comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.


	13. Not a chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the Ben 10 VS Green Lantern death battle came out, huh?

You can completely skip this if you want or don't know what happened with death battle. What's happened? Basically the infamous series death battle decided to pit Ben Tennyson against DC's own Green Lantern. It's been the subject of quite a bit of controversy recently to the point where after a day, it is already one of death battle's most disliked episodes in the series. So as both a long-time fan of Ben 10 and death battle as well as an avid VS debater, what were my thoughts on it? Well... I liked it. I think they got the right result and I do think the controversy surrounding this death battle is somewhat undeserved compared to more notorious episodes like Bowser VS Ganon, Tracer VS Scout and both Goku VS Supermans. 

First off, the problems with this episode and every episode are not the animation. I agree it could've been better and didn't really show what Alien X or the failsafe was capable of. Honestly a battle between these two characters was easily season finale material even if it wasn't a very popular matchup. That aside, death battle's stance has and always will be that the animation is just for fun and not truly reflective of how a fight could go down (or at the very least is just one possibility of how it could've gone). If you want to argue against death battle, what you should be arguing against is not the animation but the conclusion which justifies that verdict, and honestly I have yet to see a compelling argument for why Ben should've won, The Ink Tank included because his video was basically just complaining about the animation. Also released two days before the public had access to it. Dick move InkTank (and reaction channels that do the same thing). 

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to single out The Ink Tank or anything but I know that if I don't people will just keep linking me his video to "prove" why Ben should've won, which has several problems. It doesn't cover Hal's side, tends to focus on the animation alone, general ignorance of how death battle works and gets several things wrong for Ben 10, the series he's an expert on. For example, he claims that Jetray can make Hal's trip across the universe in an hour. The only time Jetray explicitly moved faster than light is in the episode _Eye of the Beholder_ , where Ben claims that Jetray flew halfway across the galaxy; much smaller than a universe. The Omnitrix hasn't protected Ben from getting his arm sliced off. The episode is _Singlehanded_ and what actually happened the clash between the energy ax and the Omnitrix (not Ben's wrist) ended up teleporting Ben to the Null Void. In fact Vilgax, someone who used to be even more knowledgeable about the Omnitrix than Ben deemed cutting Ben's arm off as a completely viable strategy in the episode _Secrets_. His prediction video has several problems itself but that's another story.

Then there's the WOG statement argument that everyone loves to use. Basically several people behind the show have stated that Celestialsapiens are multiversal entities. While I do agree to an extent, you can't use that in VS Debates. People seem to have a disposition that writers know everything about their characters and that their statements are valid for gauging a character's power level but I feel you lot will feel differently after I say my next line. Kr'lk, Bakugou's therapist, is omnipotent. It's a completely valid statement. She's my character so obviously everything I say regarding her has to be true, right. She hasn't shown anything that contradicts my statement in Hero Time. Her limits are ill-defined and so obviously my OC can fight on par with Alien X. Spoilers the season 2 finale is going to be a throwdown between her and the entire Celestialsapien race. 

Now obviously this is ridiculous. I don't have any authority over the Celestialsapiens so I can't say my OC is on par with them... except the writers and subsequently the Ben 10 fanbase is doing just that. The people behind these statements are implicitly stating that Alien X can take on the likes of True Darkseid and Fate, two multiverse busters in DC Comics. The Ben 10 fanbase is using these statements to justify that Alien X should've beaten Hal but a weaker Green Lantern than Hal survived the Crisis of Infinite Earths, which took out every universe but one. Such a feat is beyond even Alien X as Atomic X got overpowered by it and the failsafe that prevents Ben from dying failed to activate when he was facing off against it. 

Of course statements are necessary. The only reason the Anihilaarg is universe-level is because it was stated to be universe level. Put the exact same sequence except call it a galaxy-buster instead of a universe-buster and you have a completely different feat. Statements are required to tell us the context of feats but my problem with WOG statements is that they provide context when there is no feat to provide context for. 

Of course, I do think that Alien X is multiversal but that's because creating a universe is the Celestialsapien equivalent of a speeding ticket but that is speculation. How reliable WOG statements are is speculation. And you cannot base an entire VS argument around speculation. The sad thing is that while both characters are probably multiversal, it's no probably in Hal's case. A weaker Green Lantern survived what was essentially the Chronosapien Time Bomb. Later on Hal damages Mandrakk the Dark Monitor, a being that was more powerful than the Anti-Monitor who caused the Crisis of Infinite Earths i.e. DC's version of the Chronosapien Time Bomb. 

So that's my two cents on the death battle and the controversy surrounding it. You're all free to disagree but just remember that as you are entitled to your own opinions, I am entitled to mine. But good news, because I'm a FIRST member and I pretty much called the controversy surrounding this episode, I let my procrastination habit take over and instead of doing my assignment like a responsible person, I kept on writing non-stop for chapter 13. It will be out in a few hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I did plan for this to be at the start of the chapter note for Baby 29. Then I realized the word count would be roughly a third of the actual chapter and realized it was probably better to make it it's own 'chapter'. Also it kinda is so long that it wouldn't fit in the chapter notes.


	14. Baby 29

“STONE CUTTER!” The teal crystalline pillar finally smashed, a testament to Midoriya’s hard work for the past 9 months. 

“Impressive!” Rook said with a smile. 

Midoriya felt ready to cry. Even if All Might decided not to give him One For All, or for whatever reason it backfired, he had a backup plan. Granted that plan was essentially just sending vibrations through touch but hey, people with less powerful Quirks had managed to become heroes.

Midoriya felt he was finally making progress, towards his dream. Learning Stone Cutter was the first step but he had also managed to make it more powerful and his charge time was faster than ever. 

“Oh, Izuku! I’m so proud of you” his mother said off to the side. 

Weirdly enough, progress towards his dream had also given him progress in his life. His mother finally expressed trust and belief in him. 

Kacchan no longer bullied him and their relationship was somewhat better. He doubted he would ever be able to trust Kacchan again and his thoughts that Kacchan was going to hurt him again hadn’t stopped. Still the fact that Kacchan continuously proved those thoughts wrong was a start.

He had made his first real friend since elementary school and she was scavenging the crystal remains of his destruction while whistling and trying to be discreet about it. 

And best of all, he’d finally reconnected with his missing dad. Sure they couldn’t analyse Quirks over the TV anymore given his blindness but they could still talk about possibilities. Midoriya’s side project was finding a healing or restoration Quirk that could possibly be used to help his father.

All in all, life seemed to finally be turning up for Midoriya. He’d gained a powerful technique, was slated to inherit All Might’s Quirk and had generally become more confident. He was slowly breaking out of his worthless Deku shell that Kacchan had created for him. 

“Hey, Midoriya! Where’s the guy who made these crystals? The composition of them is just perfect for a few of my babies!” 

“Uh, Ben left for U.A about five to ten minutes ago”.

Hatsume made a low whine before a grin appeared on her face “Well, this is the perfect time to test one of my babies!” 

Hatsume pulled out the eyeball from... wherever she kept it and opened a portal. Even after two months of this, it was still weird seeing the girl put her head into the portal with those loud screech’s accompanying her. 

“OK OK, fine!” she yelled before popping her head out of the portal. Three seconds later, she was followed by a pink-ish grey tentacle, which was promptly cut off as she turned the eyeball off.

Annoyance etched on her face while fear and disgust etched on the faces of everyone else. 

“Stupid, void creature” she mumbled. 

His mother cleared her throat before looking at Mei “Hatsume, just remember I expect you to clean up any messes you make while here”.

Hatsume’s eyes widened and she uttered a nervous “yes, ma’am”.

“Good”.

The whole reason Hatsume was at his house was because she had started using their garage for her babies and so she would sometimes have impromptu sleepovers after getting too caught up in her work and using him as a lackey. 

It wasn’t all bad and she was currently making support items for him to use in the Entrance Exam but he wasn’t so sure about the idea of being used by another person. He’s always up for helping others but helping Hatsume got a bit weird...

Sometimes she’d ask for him to use the Stone Cutter technique and would grip his muscles while he performed the technique or if she thought she could be discreet (she couldn’t), she’d take a picture of his abs. 

Izuku had no idea what to do in this situation! He’d asked her out but she said she wasn’t interested in relationships. Honestly the sheer confusion of the situation outweighed the rejection. 

What was he talking about? Oh, right Hatsume at his house. Well during one of her impromptu sleepovers, she used baby 29 and made a whole mess of the house. There’s still a hole in the roof so now his mother makes sure to keep an extra, watchful eye on Hatsume’s antics.

“Hey, what babies are you going to use for your portfolio?” According to Hatsume, the Support Course at U.A. required applicants to submit a portfolio of their greatest inventions. The only problem was that Hatsume had currently created no more than 70 different babies and she was only allowed to present 5. 

She’d been wracked with indecisiveness for the past month. She gave him a frown as her reticles focused.

“Well still I was planning on baby 29 but...”

She was interrupted by everyone screaming “NOOO!” at her.

She pouted and rubbed her temples “I still can’t decide! I want each and every one of my babies to get their time to shine. The fact that you won’t even give baby 29 a chance hurts me even more”.

“Well, to be fair it did melt the sink” Rook said, causing Hatsume to glare at him “I’m going to just leave now”.

“Good idea”.

“Let’s focus on the portfolio for now” Midoriya tried to change the topic. 

“Right. What babies do you think I should showcase, Midoriya!” Hatsume yelled as she invaded his personal space.

Midoriya gently pushed her away and put his hand to his chin “With the limited amount of options, it would be best to showcase babies of differing variety. For example, baby 4 (her jetpack) should not be shown in conjunction with baby 12 (the hover shoes) as they both achieve the same purpose”. 

“I see but in that case baby 4 would be the better option as baby 12 also needs the assistance of baby 2 (the grappling hook) to achieve its practicality. Without baby 2, baby 12 is unfortunately relegated to a fun party trick. However, I could showcase baby 2 on it’s own as a grappling hook is practical even without the hover shoes. What else could I show?”

“Oh, baby 43!”

“The barrier projector. Not that I’m complaining but why that baby specifically?” Hatsume asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Come on, Hatsume. The Support Course is looking for support items. They’re not looking for items that could turn a Quirkless person like me into a Hero. They’re looking for items that can be used to support others. Baby 43 does just that by adding a layer of protection around a person. It could be used to protect civilians, allowing Heroes to go all out or protect the weaker heroes from things much stronger than them”.

Hatsume hummed and smiled “Alright Midoriya, baby 43 it is”

“Besides most of your offensive babies tend to backfire horribly” he added quietly though he could feel Hatsume’s glare despite him looking away from her. 

“Fine if my offensive babies aren’t good enough for you”

“I never said that”

“What do you suggest since you’re so brilliant and gorgeous with your big muscles?”

The two stared at each other for a solid 30 seconds “What is up with you?”

“Uh, nothing. Nothing at all. Now next baby”.

There clearly was something going on but Midoriya decided to ignore it “Well, I suppose, you can’t go wrong with your first baby”.

“My goggles? Midoriya they were made to regulate my Quirk” 

“Yes but over time, you’ve been upgrading them so that they are so much more than that. Just last week, you were boasting about how you could scan my vitals and weak points. These goggles have a ton of applications for Support work. They could assist heroes by allowing them to see the weak points of villains or see how many hostages are actually in a hostage situation. They could be used to enhance their own vision instead of just regulate yours” Hatsume smiled at the idea that her very first invention could be useful in Support work. 

“Thanks, Midoriya. I’ve already picked my last baby” she said as she held up the eyeball. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he said looking at the void tentacle.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine” she said in a cheerful tone.

* * *

“POWER!!” Mirio yelled as he went to punch the blue blur. Amajiki and Nejire had trapped him. Their classmates may have lost to this vigilante but they wouldn’t. Mirio connected his punch... into his childhood best friend, which caused his tentacles to go flying into Nejire, giving the speedster an opening to escape.

“NO!”

“Alright that’s enough. Class, what have we learned?” Cementoss announced, bringing an end to the sparring session. 

The class groaned as XLR8 did a celebratory dance, complete with sticking his tongue out at them.

“That Tennyson’s a cheap-ass vigilante who is a very poor winner” one student said. 

“At least I won” Tennyson said with a smug smirk on his face, prompting everyone in the room to glare at him. 

“Yes, but also that it is wise to be aware of your allies. Tennyson took out half of you just by positioning himself just right so that you would hit each other with your Quirks. Mirio, though your plan was adequate, the fact that your Quirk renders you blind made you extra vulnerable to his ploy, resulting in you missing your target and being responsible for the defeat of your companions Hado and Amajiki”.

“Yes, sir” Mirio looked down.

“Good, now I believe it’s time for lunch. Dismissed” he said to the class before turning to Tennyson “Nezu wants to see you”

“Ah crap” he said in resignation.

“Y’know, Tennyson wouldn’t be nearly as difficult to defeat without that watch of his” Hado pointed out, causing Tennyson to stop.

He turned to them and said “Yeah, well you’re more than welcome to try and steal it” before running off. 

“That gives me an idea” Mirio said causing Amajiki to just hide his face and say “please no”.

* * *

“You wanted to see me sir?” Ben asked as Nezu poured himself a cup of tea. 

“Why yes, young Tennyson but before we start, why don’t you tell me the reason you think I brought you here?”

Ben was familiar with this. Nezu always manipulated him into confessing things he’d done by just asking him a question and staring at him. It was creepy but it wouldn’t work. Not today. 

‘Quick think of some other reason. Under no circumstances reveal what you’ve done’ Ben thought to himself. 

“Uh, you’re hiring a new teacher?”

“Impressive! And I thought I’d done a good job at keeping it a secret”

“Really? I thought you’d brought me in here because of the satellite relay on the roof” Ben said before realising just what he had done and Nezu’s grin got even wider.

“Oh” he facepalmed.

“Yes, well that aside I figured it would be best if you filled in this new teacher on the basics of what I expect at this school”. 

“I mean I guess I can do that but wouldn’t it be better to get one of the other teacher’s to help him?”

“Yes, but you two have history and I can trust you’ll be unbiased in your interactions with him. Also whatever you do, do not mention your vigilantism”

“History? Who could it possibly be? Oh.” Ben said as he turned to the door opening and waved at the person entering. 

“How you doing you big hypocrite?”.

* * *

All Might was quite pleased with himself. He had recently taken a look at the garbage dump and could see that Young Midoriya was nearly finished with his training, meaning that he was certainly going to reach the deadline. 

He also hadn’t had any more unfortunate confrontations with Tennyson though if there was one good thing about meeting that arrogant show-off, it was Midoriya’s new technique. Even if young Midoriya didn’t take to One For All as easily as All Might himself, he still had a useful power that would do adequately against the Entrance Exam. 

And with this job that Nezu offered, he could easily monitor and guide young Midoriya in how to use One For All that much more effectively. ‘There is no one or nothing that could ruin my plans, now’ All Might thought as he entered Nezu’s office.

“How you doing you big hypocrite?” Tennyson said as he waved.

Toshinori spewed blood on the carpet to the amusement of Nezu and Tennyson.

“Well principal, I must congratulate you on the capture of this vigilante” Toshinori said, trying to convince himself that there was no other possible explanation for why Tennyson was in Nezu’s office.

“Why thank you, All Might!” the principal said in that cherry voice of his. At least his suspicions went unconfirmed.

“Though I must say, you are a few months late” No. No, there is no way that happened. There is no way Nezu would be so reckless. 

“All Might. Meet Ben Tennyson, my latest teaching assistant and security officer”.

“‘Sup”. Of course it was true. 

All Might sighed “Principal, I know it’s not my place to say this but are you out of your mind?!”

“Probably” admitted the other two occupants of this room.

“I mean hiring a vigilante? What are you thinking?”

“Well I was thinking of the safety of the school and the protection of your secret, All Might” Nezu said in a harsh tone.

“Urk” All Might tried to swallow down the blood that was rising up his throat.

“With your powers decreasing by the day, it’s unfortunate of me to note that society isn’t quite as safe, anymore. Mr. Tennyson is a valuable asset in case of a villain attack and while you being here also helps to ensure the safety of the school considering that you can only maintain your power for three hours a day now”

“So? Tennyson can only maintain his powers for 15 minutes at a time”

“Why yes, but unlike you the Omnitrix can recharge in a matter of minutes allowing him to protect the school for far more time than you can. It’s better he’s protecting my school than committing acts of vigilantism. Additionally he has knowledge on One For All and what happens if his recklessness accidentally allows a villain to know about your secret All Might?”

“I literally have not told anyone about One For All” Tennyson pointed out. 

Nezu ignored Tennyson’s complaint “And if you had been paying attention to the news, you would know that hiring Tennyson was a controversial decision; met with either outrage at the idea or praise for managing to keep the vigilante off the streets and accomplishing what the police have failed to do on many occasions”.

All Might was ashamed to say he had never even heard of this despite it being public knowledge. He weighed his options. Yes, Tennyson was a reckless vigilante who only cared about himself and had no problems manipulating others but all of Nezu’s points made sense and it was definitely unlikely that Tennyson could manipulate Nezu at all.

“Fine, but expect me to avoid him at all times”.

“Actually, he’ll be showing you the ropes of teaching at U.A.” **Wonderful**.

“Now the reason I called you both here was to discuss One For All. I fear that your successor may be the last, All Might” Nezu said solemnly.

“Why exactly?”

“Well I’ve done some basic calculations on each of the users of One For All and compared them to see the power gap between them and the potential power of the ninth user. Unfortunately according to my calculations, One For All is quickly nearing the point of singularity. It may even surpass it when you transfer it. Are you sure, Izuku Midoriya is the right choice?”

All Might looked down at his knees and hummed in thought “To be honest, I’ve had doubts about how well this kid will handle One For All since I approached him but... the kid deserves it. If One For All doesn’t backfire, it will turn him into the world’s greatest hero even if the point of singularity isn’t reached”. 

“And if the point of singularity is reached it could strip the boy of his future”.

“What is the point of singularity?” Tennyson asked, causing the other two men to turn to him.

“Right, until we met you didn’t even know what Quirks were. I suppose it would be a bit much to ask for you to have looked into Quirk Theory” Tennyson glared at All Might but said nothing as the principal explained.

“Indeed. Well, Mr. Tennyson I suppose the easiest way to explain it is that as generations pass by, Quirks start to get stronger as they are mixed with more and more genetic variations. As this happens the Quirks get more complicated, powerful and versatile. Do you follow?”

“I guess. So what is the singularity?”

“The singularity is the point at which Quirks get too powerful to control. Quirks are constantly evolving but they’re evolving at a faster rate than humanity can adapt. Eventually they’ll be a point at which humanity has to find a way to evolve... or die”.

“... And you theorize that One For All has reached that point? So what happens to Midoriya if it has reached the singularity?”

“Who knows?” the principal said in a cheerful voice causing the other two to thud to the ground.

“But I thought you said it’s nearing the point of singularity!” The two men yelled in unison.

“Well, it is only a theory and there are any number of possibilities that could happen to a person if their Quirk reached the singularity. They could die but they could just as easily evolve. We’re treading new territory, gentleman” he grinned causing Tennyson and Toshinori to sweat drop.

“I suppose we’ll figure it out when young Midoriya inherits it in one month’s time.”

“Yep” Tennyson said as the three gentleman drank their tea.

‘I can only hope it doesn’t go disastrously’ they all thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so this was another chapter where some rewriting had to be done. Only the scene in Nezu's office was rewritten but the original draft was going for a more morose tone, where All Might was considering going back on his promise to Midoriya. I realized immediately that it was an idea I couldn't really pull off and considering Midoriya was going to get One For All in the next chapter regardless, it just created unnecessary drama. 
> 
> The Mirio plot where he gets an idea to get the Omnitrix will not be covered in the main story. I do have an idea for it but I don't know how it would fit in on the overall plot of things. Maybe I'll make a sidestory when I get the time. What else happened? Oh Hatsume's muscle fetish. I pretty much just exaggerated that scene where she feels Midoriya up. Yeah, she has one but she just isn't interested in a romantic relationship and I doubt her stance on that is going to change.
> 
> Like always comments and criticism are appreciated.


	15. Entrance Exam

“Eat this!” All Might grinned as he held up a strand of hair for Izuku to eat.

“Huh?!” It’s safe to say that this is a very different idea to what Midoriya had in mind.

His whole plan for today was that he’d finally finish the garbage beach, All Might would thank him for a job well done, pass on his Quirk through touch or telekinesis, maybe? Then he’d use All Might’s power to pass the Entrance Exam.

What actually happened was All Might had actually praised his good work and progress and then went into a speech about One For All possibly reaching Singularity. Of course, his Quirk knowledge allowed him to trim down the amount of time he had to use up on it and All Might made it clear that the Quirk could potentially be really dangerous and said it was up to him if he still wanted. 

Of course Izuku still wanted the power despite the risks. Everyone had helped out so much to get him to this point. His mother had adjusted their diets, All Might had constructed a training regiment, Rook had taught him Stone Cutter and Ben... well he had saved him from multiple villain attacks. If he didn’t accept the Quirk, he felt it would be insulting to their hard work.

So of course when he accepted, All Might’s course of action was to pluck out one of his hairs and tell him to eat it. 

“To inherit my Quirk, you must digest some of my DNA! Although it doesn’t really matter what you eat so”

“Can I get some of your blood, then?” Izuku really did not want to consume some of All Might’s hair.

All Might spewed blood and transformed into his weakened state “U-uh well unfortunately there’s nothing I could use to get any blood for you. Hair is the better option, you see!” His grin had faltered, clearly he did not understand that this was yet again one of the things that Midoriya should’ve been told about. After all not everyone would take to eating hair as easily as he did. 

Midoriya was eyeing the ground where All Might had spewed blood “Midoriya”.

He seemed conflicted between grabbing the hair or grabbing some sand with All Might’s blood on it. “Midoriya no. That is extremely unsanitary”. 

Midoriya began reaching for the blood. 

“Midoriya that’s been in my mouth”.

Suddenly Midoriya sighed and grabbed the hair, eating it in a crunch. ‘Why is it crunchy?’

An eccentric voice yelled out at him and a certain pink-haired girl had somehow materialised herself in front of him. 

“Hey Midoriya, why are you eating All Might’s hair?! I mean I knew you were a hero fanboy but I didn’t think you were this far gone. Although now that I think about it, I do want to know what it tastes like” Instead of asking him, Hatsume just turned around and started reaching for All Might’s hair. 

All Might slapped her hand away and glared at Midoriya “Young Midoriya, who is this?”.

As Midoriya was frozen like a deer in the headlights, Hatsume introduced herself “I’m Mei Hatsume, future Support Course student at U.A! If you ever need Support Equipment, and I’m almost certain you will given this...” Hatsume gestured to All Might’s langy form “...give me a call.

“I’m too strong for Support Equipment and even if I wasn’t I actually have someone I trust to make it for me” All Might said.

Someone made All Might support equipment? “Who?!” The two teens yelled. 

“No one you have to concern yourselves with. More importantly Midoriya why is young Hatsume, here?”

“She stalked me, we became friends and we’re walking to U.A. together” Midoriya said in a curt tone. 

He was starting to get tired of All Might’s secrets. In the previous 10 months it seemed that All Might only ever told him the bare minimum and sometimes even that had to be done with coercion from others. He still had no idea who All For One was though he assumed it was the villain capable of injuring All Might. This in spite of the fact that All For One was supposedly going to be an important figure in his life. 

He understood that everyone had their secrets. He had just hoped that All Might would be a little more open about it. All Might frowned “Midoriya, does she know about-”

“No. Now c’mon Hatsume, we’ve got just under three hours til our exams” Midoriya said in a tone All Might had never heard before. He was usually a mix between nervous breakdown or fanboy but this was a lot more cold and... familiar.

Midoriya grabbed Hatsume and left, hoping that he could figure out an answer along the way. All Might called out for him to “Break a leg!” but Midoriya was lost within his own thoughts, trying to figure out a solution for All Might’s secrecy all while Hatsume was going on about how incredible it was that he knew All Might and the opportunities that could arise from it.

* * *

Hagakure was experiencing multiple emotions at once. She was excited at the opportunity to enter U.A. but simultaneously she was nervous because well, her Quirk is kinda situational. Still she had put an adequate amount of study in both her academics as well as her martial arts. It really depended on the format of the Entrance Exam.

If only her parents were here for this moment. Uncle Midoriya was fine but he couldn’t replace her parents and they rarely saw each other. There’s also the fact that he despises heroes and had tried to talk her out of it multiple times. In fact he had helped her with her backup plans in case U.A. doesn’t work out and had ensured her that she had options outside of heroics. If U.A didn’t work out, she had an opportunity to do work for a big but shady magazine. Failing that he’d help her get into law.

Still Hagakure was determined to pass the U.A. Entrance Exam! And so she marched forward and promptly bumped into some other applicant.

“Sorry!” She said at the same time as the person she had bumped into. That voice seemed oddly familiar for some reason. 

“Hagakure?” 

“Midoriya?”

“Hatsume!” a girl next to Midoriya yelled. 

“So you’re taking the Heroics Course as well?” Midoriya asked. 

“Yep. Got to make sure at least one of us disadvantaged people makes it in” she said, causing Izuku to chuckle. The two started catching up on what they had been doing recently though the conversation took an awkward turn once she revealed she had been living alone with help from her uncle.

“Dad? That’s weird.” Midoriya mumbled.

“Huh, why?” 

“Well, I only found out that he had been crippled last year and even though I’ve been seeing him, he hasn’t mentioned you at all”.

“That is weird.”

“Why did you need Dad’s help anyway?”

“Well-” Hagakure started before realising she had no idea how to bring the topic up without making things awkward, even if she wanted to. ‘Oh- well you see Midoriya, my mom was brutally murdered and my dad was taken off life support three months ago but do tell me more about this new training you’ve started’ 

“It’s ok. You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to”.

“I- thank you Midoriya. Let’s focus on this exam! Plus Ultra!” she yelled with he hands in the air. She turned to Midoriya “Y’know I was kinda hoping you’d do it with me”

“I didn’t even know you were going to do it”.

“Midoriya!” she whined.

“Fine” he said half-heartedly.

“Alright. Three. Two. One”.

“Plus Ultra!” All three teens yelled with their fists in the air.

“Excuse me. You three are blocking the path to the Exams. If you’re not going to take this seriously, you should just go home” a boy with glasses and engines in his legs lectured them while doing weird arm gestures. 

“Sorry.” the three said before leaving for their assigned seats with each of them going to completely different rooms.

* * *

Bakugou was completely exhausted. He had called Tennyson for a morning spar as preparation for the Entrance Exam and Tennyson had no problems obliging. Mainly because it meant Tennyson had an opportunity to beat the shit out of him. Though Bakugou observed a pattern. 

First Tennyson had used some nuclear reactor alien called Atomix and promptly slapped him away when he got close enough. This was the first time seeing the alien and Bakugou already knew he was out of his league.

Then Tennyson changed into some green robot with red eyes and lots of guns. Seriously, this alien would be a nightmare for airport security with how much guns he had. From earlier fights he knew that it was agile and there were hidden compartments that allowed him to summon missiles. It also had a jetpack for flight, energy swords and electric shurikens that could disable his nervous system. According to Deku, Tennyson called this form Tenten though he didn’t know why. Probably because he had 20 different types of weapons.

And yet despite it’s vast arsenal, Tennyson was content using just the jetpack and the two standard blasters. Well that was his mistake. These repeated fights were slowly making him faster, stronger. Bakugou quickly used his explosions to propel himself into the air and outmaneuver Tennyson. He grabbed onto the helmet and let out an explosion that blasted Tennyson into the wall.

“You shouldn’t have underestimated me” Bakugou smiled as he turned to the scoreboard. That was his 12th victory against Tennyson! Sure, Tennyson was still winning with 108 wins to his name but he was catching. 

Tennyson then transformed into some green blob. If Bakugou recalled correctly, it’s name was Upgrade and it was able to fuse technology and upgrade the hell out of it. It fused into Tennyson’s bike and transformed it into a quad-pedal robot with a ton of guns attached to it. And then it started firing bullets at him. 

Bakugou quickly dodged and fired an explosion towards Tennyson. Of course Upgrade simply canceled it out with his optic blasts and continued to fire bullets at Bakugou. Bakugou nimbly dodged and flew over Tennsyon. Unfortunately one of the robot’s limbs went to grab him but Bakugou grabbed it and blasted it. The two were covered in a wave of smoke but before it settled Bakugou was hit by Upgrade’s optic beam and sent to the other side of the warehouse. 

And that was how he found himself being healed by Medicura. 

“Hey Tennyson, why did you only use mechanical forms today?”

“Hm. The Omnitrix has a randomizer function and when in that function I have no control over what aliens I get to use” Medicura stated in a matter of fact tone. “Now I believe that you are healed and ready for the Entrance Exam”.

“Of course, I’m ready!” Bakugou’s hands started sparking. 

“Bakugou, remember what we and Kr’lk talked about in regards to that temper of yours”.

“Yes, ma’am”

“I’m a guy”.

“It’s not my fault you look like a girl!”

Medicura sighed “Just go to your exam already”.

Bakugou left for U.A., told shitty Deku to stay out of his way and somehow ended up sitting next to Deku anyway for the exam.

“... After this presentation you’ll each head to your assigned location!”

“Hey, that’s so kids from the same school can’t help each other, right?” he asked Deku.

“Yes. It’s also why consecutive ID numbers are assigned to different locations” he muttered. 

Well it’s a pity that he couldn’t crush Deku but at the same time he was somewhat glad? Apparently Deku had managed to take down a factory in Kamino Ward thanks to a technique Tennyson’s partner taught him. He didn’t want to admit it but he was somewhat relieved he didn’t have to compete with that kind of power. Although it was probably a fucking lie Tennyson thought up to irritate him, the fact was that a factory had been destroyed a few months ago. Of course shitty Deku denied any and all queries but he could be lying.

Present Mic then went on to explain the four different types of villains in the exam though only three were applicable to gaining points. Though destroying the fourth type would be an impressive show of power, he wasn’t an idiot. The judges are scoring on villain points only so taking it out would be a waste of time. 

He did get a kick when some stickler told Deku off for his mumbling during the Exam although he was somewhat surprised to hear the guy go off about how Deku apparently had no sense of shame or dignity.

He turned to look at Deku for an explanation.

“Me and a couple friends were just doing the Plus Ultra pose in front of the school”.

Honestly he wasn’t sure what surprised him more. The fact that this stuck up guy drew his attention towards Deku for doing a somewhat common pose or the fact that Deku had friends. 

‘Well, it’s not like it’s any of my business’ Bakugou thought as he got off the bus that would lead him to his area. Once the doors opened and the signal went off, he leapt into action all while sporting a sadistic grin. 

‘It’s showtime’ he thought as he let out a blast, completely decimating the group of bots before him.

* * *

With approximately 10,800 people applying for the Heroics Course in U.A, Tenya Iida supposed it was inevitable that at least one or two of them wouldn’t take it seriously. However, he had hoped that the green haired boy would at least try to pretend to take things seriously. 

Talking during the introduction to the practical? Clearly someone had no regard for others. He may’ve been too hasty in his judgement of U.A. Obviously Japan’s top hero school wouldn’t make such a blatant error and that was his fault for thinking he could get one over on them but he was sure his judgement on the green-haired boy was spot-on. 

At the very least said boy wasn’t in his division. He didn’t need anything distracting him from the practical and neither did anyone else. He could only pity the division that did get stuck with him but such as the way of life. Not everyone is equal and there will be circumstances where they will be disadvantaged. As future heroes, it is up to them to overcome any obstacle in their path and if said obstacle was a green-haired boy with a penchant for distracting others so be it. 

“And begin!” 

‘What?’ he thought as Present Mic’s voice yelled out to everyone.

“What’s wrong? You think villains would give you a warning? The test’s started so run, run, run!”

As expected of Japan’s top Hero school! Even during the Entrance Exam, they are teaching the applicants how to be heroes. He knew he made the right choice in picking this school... and everyone else has already leapt into action. 

‘Argh. Even now that green-haired boy is distracting him from his goal. No matter. I’ll just have to work extra hard to make up for lost time’ Iida thought as he kicked through a 2-pointer. This was but one obstacle in his journey to being a hero.

* * *

“Get down!” Hagakure pushed a boy with manic hair down to the ground to prevent them both from being riddled with bullets. 

She was screwed. Completely and utterly screwed. Turns out the Entrance Exam was frickin stupid and generic. The school had decided instead of things that Heroes would actually face like human villains or non-combat situations like search and rescue, they had decided to go with robots.

Robots with thermal vision, rendering her invisibility useless. It was only thanks to her enhanced senses and years of training that she was able to dodge the bullets fired at her. In essence the “top hero school in the country” only cared about flashy and powerful Quirks. 

Well, it wasn’t anything she wasn’t used to. She and Midoriya already knew they were going to be disadvantaged. What would Midoriya do in this situation? He’d go off on some nerd talk and probably analyze the hell out of it. He probably knew the exact model and it’s abilities and it’s weaknesses. It’s weaknesses! It had to have a weakness of some kind, right?

Judging from the sounds it makes when it’s about to fire, there are a lot of moving parts involved. She could probably use something to jam them but what? All she could detect around her were rocks. 

Hagakure sighed and picked up some of the rubble. It was better than nothing. Hagakure decided to abandon all logic and ran towards the bot trying to riddle her with bullets. She was agile enough to dodge them, she could do this! And then the bot started swinging at her. It seemed they were programmed to only fire when a target was at a certain distance.

It swung downwards, which gave her just the opportunity she needed. She leapt towards it’s arm and held on tightly. She got her footing as she was swung into the air. The villain bot tried to shake her off while Hagakure tried to get just the right spot. She only had one chance at this. The next time she was swung upwards, she threw her rock into its neck. 

To her surprise the robot shut down. The rock having made a sizable dent in it’s neck hole thingy. She had only done it because she was desperate. 

“Huh. I did not expect that to work. I’ll see you around, yeah?” She waved to the person she saved before going to find more bots. 

‘I might actually be able to do this though I’ll have to be smart about it’.

* * *

Midoriya was to put it bluntly, acing this test. He hadn’t even had to use One For All yet. He had started out Present Mic’s test by using Stone Cutter to send everyone off balance. It was a dirty move but a necessary one if he wanted to get into U.A. Stone Cutter had also been useful for sending the villain bots into walls or directly applying vibrations to their armor, destroying them. 

OK, so he was just using Stone Cutter a lot but it was a good technique and when all you have is a hammer, everything is a nail, right?

There were plenty of people with more powerful and versatile Quirks in this exam. He’d met a girl who could sprout mushrooms everywhere, clogging up the robots and netting her easy points.That is until one of them got out of her range and just started shooting at her. 

“Oh shittake” she frowned. 

‘What the hell is the school thinking, shooting at children? He dreaded to think what would happen if he wasn’t there to push her out of the way. Although she stole the kill off him and left but whatever.

“Sorry but this is a competition. Only 36 of us will make it through and I need that spot. Thanks for the save though” she laughed before running off. 

Honestly, the girl had a point. There was around 10,000 applicants competing for only 36 spots. Even though that group had been split up into 7 locations, that still meant he was directly competing with over 1,400 people. U.A. was looking for the best of the best and saving others wasn’t going to help show them that but he couldn’t help it. 

However, as he was deep in thought, he failed to realize he was surrounded by villain bots. He was still in their ‘no-shoot area’ so they were simply approaching him. As one swung at him, he punched it’s limb using Stone Cutter. Orange vibrations went through the 1-pointer, dismantling it immediately. 

Unfortunately, now there were red lasers pointing at him. 

“I thought you guys couldn’t shoot this close!” Midoriya tried to use Stone Cutter on the ground to get them out of the way but a 3-pointer shot at him preventing him from making contact. The lasers never leaving his body. Midoriya braced himself for fire and was promptly saved by a bunch of vines wrapping themselves around him and shielding him from the bullets. 

The vines wrapped around a couple of two-pointers and crushed them with Midoriya destroying a three-pointer with Stone Cutter. 

“Are you alright?” a voice called out to him after they had finished destroying the group of villain bots. 

Midoriya turned to see a girl with vines for hair, looking at him worridley. 

“Thanks to you, yeah. You really saved me back there. Thank you!”

Relief passed over the girl’s face “I am most glad, you are alright. However, it is really the Lord you have to thank. It was His plan for us to meet”.

“Um, okay? Although are you sure that was the best course of action for you to take? We’re being scored on villain points so it would’ve been more beneficial if you had taken those kills yourself”.

“But, is it not a Hero’s duty to protect those that cannot protect themselves? Protecting you was my first priority over defeating those villains”. 

Well at least they shared similar ideologies. “It was nice meeting you. I hope you get into U.A.”

“And I will pray for the Lord to allow you to get in as well” Shiozaki said with a smile making a prayer gesture. Was she doing it right now? Well to each their own.

As he looked for more robots to smash, he passed a human cement mixing who had glued a bunch of bots to the ground and was smashing them apart with his bare hands. As Midoriya got closer, the mixer growled at him.

“Sorry!” he said as he ran past. There had to be more robots he could smash but everywhere he looked, they had either already been demolished or were in the process of being smashed by someone else. 

A boy with blonde hair seemed to have already given up after electrifying the last group of them. He was now doing some weird victory pose with his thumbs sticking upwards. 

By some luck or miracle, he found six two-pointers in the alley. They seemed to just be standing there without looking for applicants, likely placed there as a bone to throw to those with surveillance Quirks. 

Red lasers appeared on his body as they approached. Midoriya smirked and hit the ground, only for nothing to happen. ‘Crap, I must’ve used up all my ki. The hell am I supposed to do now’.

“Tch. Not very fair of them to only give us a limited amount of robots to defeat but oh well. Fortunately, you seem to have used up your time limit on your Quirk meaning these points are mine!” A smug voice said behind him. 

Midoriya’s head was smacked by a blond boy, smirking at him “I admit you have quite a useful Quirk but I bet I can make better use of it”.

‘Better use of it? He has a copy Quirk!’

“Wait! That wasn’t a Quirk!” Midoriya tried to stop the boy but it was too late. 

The boy hit the ground with enough force to create a minor earthquake, toppling buildings onto the bots and them if Midoriya hadn’t dragged them out of the alley. 

“Are you alright?” but the boy didn’t hear him, letting out pained yelled. His arm had turned completely purple and the bones in his body had clearly been broken by the force of the hit. 

‘One For All will do that to my body?!’ Midoriya thought, clearly thinking that maybe he should’ve passed on the Quirk after all. The electric boy from before bumped into him going “Wheeey”.

“Hey, I know it’s a lot but can you help me help him?” Midoriya said as he took off his shirt to be used as a makeshift cast. Upon closer inspection, the boy’s legs were bending in a way Midoriya was sure they weren’t supposed to be in. 

Unfortunately, instead of helping the electric boy just kept going “Wheey”. Meanwhile, the copycat was currently having a crisis. 

“It seemed like such a good Quirk. Vibration inducement. There was no way it could possibly go wrong. Why the FUCK did everything go wrong?”

Midoriya tried to calm the Quirk copier down but was interrupted by a gigantic robot crushing everything in it’s path... and all three of them were in it.

* * *

All Might felt something was wrong and he couldn’t understand why. Barring Tennyson also being at U.A, everything had gone according to plan. Young Midoriya had spent 10 months of his life cleaning Dagobah beach, easily surpassing All Might’s expectations in the process. 

He had offered his Quirk to young Midoriya and he had accepted after a little prompting. Perhaps he should have explained the transference process a bit earlier? But even taking that into account, young Midoriya was just fine until that Hatsume girl showed up.

Now that he thought about it, he had seen the two together as Midoriya cleaned the beach. They seemed close and it was likely that she had simply followed after him as he went to receive One For All. 

Yes, that must be it. Young Midoriya must’ve been embarrassed that he had slipped up and it threw off his mood. Well, as the Symbol of Peace and the boy’s mentor, it was up to him to inform his student that the damage was minimal and that he couldn’t do anything to stop it. 

Although no matter how All Might tried to rationalise it, he couldn’t deny the feeling he felt when young Midoriya’s mood shifted. It went from fanboy-ish joy to something more cold and villainous. More disturbingly, the feeling he felt was familiar somehow but he couldn’t remember where from. 

‘I’m sure it’s nothing’ All Might shifted into his muscle form to join the rest of the staff in watching the Entrance Exam. He overheard the principal talking to Tennyson.

“Now remember what I said about respect, Mr. Tennyson”

Tennyson merely rolled his eyes “OK, I’ve got it- oh hey it’s the” he paused after seeing Nezu watching him and grimaced “Symbol of Peace, himself. How are you?” 

Tennyson showing respect? Well it’s best not to look a gift horse in the mouth. All Might smirked. 

“I’m doing just fine, young man. Though are you sure you should be here? This is a hero school after all”

Nezu ignored Tennyson’s protests “I know you heard me talking to Tennyson, All Might. I hope I don’t have to remind you that we are here to overlook and pick out candidates for the Heroics Course this year. We are not here to pick fights with our allies”.

“Of course, principal. My apologies.” He gave a smug grin towards Tennyson.

Nezu glared at him before looking to the rest of the staff “Now then, considering we have two new employees I think it would be best to iterate the rules of judging the applicants. Judging through villain points is pointless. We have cameras disposed around the entire city and we will tally them up later. What we are currently looking for is heroic spirit. If a person displays an adequate ability to save others, we will decide how many rescue points they shall receive. Considering All Might and Mr. Tennyson have students partaking in the Entrance Exam, they will merely be observing, am I clear?”

A murmur of agreements swept throughout the room. Many of the occupants eyeing not just Tennyson but surprisingly All Might, himself warily. Of course there were still faces of admiration aimed towards him but the tone of the room was clearly not one of trust. 

Well, he supposed it couldn’t be helped. It was a person’s natural instinct to be suspicious of others and trust took time to build. Him being the Symbol of Peace didn’t change anything. After all why would the Number 1 Hero, someone who had significantly decreased villain activity by his mere presence, all of a sudden want to become a teacher?

Nezu had seemingly taken notice of this. “Rest assured, All Might, everyone in this room is trustworthy”.

All Might sighed “Well, if we are to be working together I suppose you will need to know I’m not as strong as I used to be” He deactivated his Muscle Form and revealed his weakened state to his would-be co-workers. 

Almost immediately a wave of gasps were let out and All Might was promptly bombarded by questions and statements.

“Nezu told me you had weakened but I didn’t think it was this bad”.

“Who did this to you?”

“How long can you maintain your powers?”

Nezu coughed “I know you all have questions but try to remember the reason we are here in the first place. The Entrance Exam is about to start”.

And sure enough the gates opened and Mic yelled out to the students to commence when they all paused. 

All Might looked for his pupil and eventually found him in Division E. He was doing surprisingly well on his own but something was amiss. Young Midoriya didn’t seem to even be trying to use One For All. 

Instead he seemed content to just use Stone Cutter, which he had greatly underestimated. He didn’t mean to say Tennyson’s partner was weak but this technique young Midoriya had learned could function as a Quirk on it’s own and a flashy, powerful one to boot. 

The villain bots stood no chance against the powerful tremors his pupil created. Perhaps, if All Might hadn’t given young Midoriya One For All, his pupil would’ve gone on to become the world’s first Quirkless Pro Hero and yet something was still bugging him. 

Sure Stone Cutter, would help young Midoriya through the Entrance Exam but that still didn’t take away from the fact that he wasn’t using One For All. He had hoped this would be the first means of showing Midoriya had well and truly been picked out by the Symbol of Peace, to replace and surpass him. Right now Midoriya just seemed like another one of the thousands of applicants. 

He had a flashy Quirk, yes but currently he was disposable. This was further reinforced by his pupil getting his kill stolen by a girl with a mushroom Quirk. On the subject of flashy Quirks, Tennyson seemed particularly interested in a boy with an explosion Quirk. Could he be the student, Nezu spoke of?

All Might felt a pit in his stomach form when he saw that said student was flawlessly destroying villain bots at such speeds. He effortlessly dodged gunfire and dished damage out. He was capable of punching through the armor of a three-pointer (albeit with the help of his Quirk)!

If there was any silver lining here, it was that Midoriya had not been placed in the same division. This student was mowing down villain bots as if they were mere grass and as a result prevented many others from even scoring a single point. It was tough but that was just how life went. He may’ve scored in the Top 10 but he had definitely prevented others from passing.

All Might looked for young Midoriya on the hundreds of screens in the room and was scared to find that his pupil had run out of robots to destroy. The robots he did come across were in the process of being destroyed by others.

“Power Loader, I do believe it is time to send in the Zero Pointers” Nezu announced as he looked up at the clock. One minute left in the exam. Hopefully Midoriya would at least be able to make it up in Rescue Points.

However, before he could capitalise on the Zero Pointer, the ground beneath Midoriya’s feet shook and he had to drag out another student. Said student had a completely bruised and broken arm and was freaking out as Midoriya tried to calm him down and help him.

‘Damn it. To think One For All would be discovered this quickly’. Everyone had seen him with the ability to induce vibrations and a power copier had now just revealed Midoriya’s true power. For his part Midoriya seemed shocked at the amount of self-inflicted damage One For All had done to another student. 

“Tennyson, this test is for the students only. You cannot help them”. All Might saw that Tennyson had gotten out of his seat and was scrolling through his Omnitrix.

“Are you kidding me?! A kid has broken his arm and a giant robot is coming towards him. The exam’s over for him” Tennyson spoke in a harsh tone. Harsher than anything All Might had heard from the vigilante before. 

His student was the boy with the explosion Quirk so why did he care so much about some random civilian who had injured himself? Was it possible he had judged Tennyson unfairly?

Nezu sighed “I understand your concerns and you are more than welcome to tend to the injured after the exam is over-”

“No. I’m going now” Ben hit the Omnitrix and transformed into a blue velociraptor. XLR8 if Midoriya’s notes were anything to go by.

“Just look at screen 143.” Power Loader said.

“Huh?” XLR8 turned to screen 143, where a girl was trapped in rubble with a Zero Pointer approaching. Everyone else in the arena had dled from the scene with no one to help her.

XLR8 was about to protest and race off but then the Zero Pointer stopped just before it reached the girl.

“What?”

“The purpose of the Zero Pointer is to judge how students will react in perilous situations. It values at 0 points to prevent people from randomly trying to defeat it. If you had paid attention when Mic informed you of the Entrance Exam, you would know that it’s purpose is allow us to more easily judge a student’s heroic potential. Will they rescue despite it not being worth any points or will they selfishly flee in an attempt to get more points?” Eraserhead glared at the speedster with red eyes, his hair standing on end.. 

“Sorry” XLR8 looked down.

“Speaking of heroic potential, I do believe screen 616 will feature some of it” Nezu said. 

The screen featured young Midoriya still tending to the injured student and it seemed another student had joined them. He looked to the two and tried to speak to them but nothing happened. He tried to drag them away but they were unresponsive and the injured boy fell on the ground, clearly his legs had also been damaged. As the Zero Pointer approached, Midoriya sighed. He looked to the boy’s injured arm and knew the same would happen to him. 

And yet, he calmly took a breath. With no other options he started walking towards the Zero Pointer and leapt into the air, green electricity crackling around him. He reared his fist and SMASHED the Zero Pointer away from the two students!

“YES!” All Might yelled. Midoriya had finally demonstrated the power of One For All. His entrance into U.A. was all but certain. However, his yelling caused everyone to turn to him.

“Uh, well it was such an impressive display of power and heroism, that seemed like the appropriate response” he said sheepishly. Of course all was not over as Midoriya was now falling to his death. XLR8 raced out of the room but as it turns out he wasn’t needed. Young Midoriya was saved by a swarm of vines surrounding him. 

Present Mic announced the end of the test and Midoriya seemed to be encased in a radiant blue glow. His injuries were starting to heal; no doubt another power of Tennyson’s. All Might thinks he understands just what young Midoriya meant by Tennyson’s ability to do anything he wants a few months ago. Perhaps it was time to re-evaluate his perception of the green vigilante.

* * *

Midoriya couldn’t believe he’d just taken out that colossal titan of a robot! He really did have All Might’s power! Although he did suffer a bit of power incontinence which was partially the reason he was here.

“Hey, um Present Mic! “ he called out to the Voice Hero who was accompanied by the blonde power copier he’d met in the exam. Oh no. He was probably trying to report him or something.

“What’s up little listener?!” the voice hero yelled. 

“Funny. We were just talking about you” the copier said with a smile. Crap.

“I- this guy got injured because I failed to stop him from copying my Quirk. I was just hoping I could give him some of my points to compensate for the damage”.

Present Mic laughed in his face “Sorry, little listener. It’s just Monoma here was trying to do the same thing for your save”.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, well I’m afraid you can’t give away points but I have a feeling you two won’t have to worry about that. Now if you excuse me, I have to go to a meeting to help tally up the villain points” and so Present Mic walked away, leaving the two students alone.

Monoma broke the silence first “So your Quirk is a super-enhancement Quirk that breaks your bones without caution. Then what was that vibration power you used. Is it an application of your Quirk?”

“Uh, no. It’s actually an entirely separate technique I learned from a teacher of mine. It works on ki rather than the power of a Quirk”.

“Ki? Like Sun Wukong, the Monkey Hero?”

“Yes! Exactly like that. But what about your Quirk? Is there a limit to what Quirk you can have. I’m assuming you don’t gain the knowledge on how to use the Quirk but what about mutation Quirks. But your Quirk likely has a time limit if you could copy mutations”.

“Well, it’s nice to meet a fellow Quirk enthusiast like myself. For your information, any and all Quirks I copy only last for 5 minutes and I can only use one at a time. Perhaps you would like to talk about this at a later date?”

The two exchanged numbers and went their separate ways. 

“Hey, Midoriya!” Midoriya barely had any time to react before he was glomped by a pink blur. 

“H-hatsume!”

“How’d my babies do?!” she asked with a keen smile on her face.

“Oh. Right, your babies that you gave me to help me in the Entrance Exam”. Midoriya bore a wobbly smile on his face. 

Hatsume smile shifted to a glare “Midoriya. You did use my babies, right?” 

“Well, funny thing is that I kinda forgot about them and just used Stone Cutter the whole time”.

“NOOOO!” Hatsume let go of him and threw her hands in the air before pouting. 

“Hatsume, I’m sorry! I just forgot about them” She didn’t budge. 

“I’ll buy you a chocolate cake?” and just like that Hatsume had seemingly teleported in front of him with an enthusiastic grin on her face. 

“That’s more like it.”

Midoriya sighed. He’d possibly made a new friend, punched a gigantic robot in it’s face and had reunited with an old friend. It had been a pretty good day, all things considered. Although he did wonder how those friends had done on their practicals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so at long last the Entrance Exam is finally here. I didn't exactly want to do the same thing I've seen a lot of other (not every or even most but I've seen it more than I'd like) MHA fanfics do by making the Entrance Exam the exact same thing as it was in canon barring a few changes to Midoriya's skill set. Naturally 'For Want Of A Nail' is going to come into play, with Midoriya forming relationships with different characters as opposed to just Uraraka and Iida like in canon. That in and of itself is going to have some consequences down the line. 
> 
> Oh and I know that Monoma's Quirk actually can't copy One For All for being an "accumulation" Quirk. Let's just say it's another change to the timeline. As always comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.


	16. Acceptance

“Are you sure you’re alright?” her uncle asked in concern.

“I’m actually not as upset as I thought I would be. I just feel kinda empty, y’know” and it was somewhat true. Of course she’d had time to process what happened but it was a different story directly after the exam.

Hagakure had only managed to take out two additional robots. She probably could’ve taken out more but she spent most of her time trying to save people who were also having trouble. Mainly by distracting the robots so they could score the kill but still. And as reward for her heroic actions, she didn’t gain enough villain points for her acceptance into U.A.

She tried to put on a brave face. She said she was ok to any acquaintances that asked. She entered her apartment and, and the moment she closed the door; all the tears she had been repressing were released. She bawled her eyes out for a good 30 minutes. 

It wasn’t just the fact that she failed the exam but the circumstances surrounding it. This was her chance to show her uncle that good can come from the Hero Industry, to help people like her, to... make her parents proud. And yet, she had failed! She couldn’t do any of that because she had been prevented from moving forward. 

And of course her uncle had jumped on the opportunity to say how flawed the Hero Industry was; that they cared more about results rather than heroic actions. Well, at least she can focus on some other career.

Perhaps, her uncle was right about heroes. After all, the top Hero School of the country clearly only cared about strong Quirks that were good for fighting. Heroism was more than just combat-based and yet U.A. didn’t seem to understand that.

The funny thing is every once in a while she would still think back to her final save of the day; a fairly chubby kid trapped under some rubble as the Zero Pointer approached. She had used a nearby metal rod to lever the rubble off him. She could’ve left him and looked for more points. Why didn’t she? Well, if she’s being honest it wouldn’t have made a difference. No use dwelling on it now.

“I know you must be heartbroken but we have other matters to discuss. Quite frankly, I want you to work for me”.

“What?” Working for her uncle? Wasn’t that a bit weird? Sure, they weren’t actually related but still. And she still had high school! 

“I know it’s not heroism but it’s the next best thing. If you worked for me, you’d have the opportunity to create a better society and help others like you’.

“... What would you have me do?” To be honest she still had no idea what the man did even after all these years. Shouldn’t be much of a surprise given that his own son didn’t know.

“The choice is yours. You could go down a similar path as your parents and become a spy or you could go into journalism or become a lawyer or...”

“Wait! My parents were spies.”

“But of course. I had assumed you would’ve pieced it together what with all the secrecy and the constant trips overseas”.

She hadn’t but in hindsight it made sense. Her parents were so secretive about their jobs and when the whole ‘spy’ debacle came around, her father had muttered under his breath something about the family business. However, her mother shut him up and supported her in her decision to not be a spy. 

“I see. However, I don’t think that’s something my parents would want”. 

“Very well. However, Toru I do think before we start making plans, we should make sure U.A is well and truly out of the way”.

‘Damn, he knows’ she thought to herself. It was true. The letter from U.A. had arrived today. She was holding it in her bag but she hadn’t opened it out of the fear of rejection. She knew she had failed but she was still filled with dread at the thought of confirmation. 

With shaky hands, she pulled the envelope out of her bag and opened it. Out dropped a metal disk, which displayed a hologram. Though she couldn’t tell what until the voice was heard.

“THIS IS A PROJECTION!”

All Might was delivering her message?! ‘You have got to be kidding me’ she thought because there was nothing better than hearing the knowledge that you failed from the Number 1 Hero and Symbol of Peace. It seemed she wasn’t the only one because she felt her uncle twitch at the sound of his voice, what the hell was he even doing at U.A anyway?!

As if the projection read her mind, All Might said “I’m in town for one reason and one reason only. I’ve come to teach at U.A!”

Oh great, she gets to miss out on being taught by All Might. 

“Yes, well unfortunately you failed. You passed the written portion of your exam but you only managed to get six villain points and I’m afraid that’s just not enough to pass”.

... Y’know despite knowing that she was going to be rejected, actually hearing it out loud was just soul-crushing and she wasn’t sure why. Tears started rolling down her cheeks.She had been hearing she couldn’t be a hero all her life. Maybe it was the fact that she had really, really tried and had still failed. Maybe it was the fact that all of her hard work failed to pay off. Or maybe it was just the fact that All Might was telling her she couldn’t be a Hero. It doesn’t matter why, it just really sucked. She was pathetic for not listening to everyone else. 

“That is, if we were watching for villain points exclusively”. What?

“What kind of Hero School would we be if we didn’t reward heroic actions? For you see rescue points were also a factor in evaluating applicants! Hagakure, your numerous saves during the exam and sacrifice of villain points netted you a collective total of 40 Rescue points allowing you to just barely scrap in. Congratulations Hagakure, this is your Hero Academy!” The projection vanished and Hagakure was left speechless. 

She started crying again but her tears had a different energy to them. One of hope and satisfaction. Her hard work had paid off. She’d gotten into U.A. She could do this!

“Well, it seems you will be going to U.A. after all” her uncle said in a disappointed tone. Not really surprising given his stance on Heroes and the fact that he probably wanted her to become just like her parents.

Hagakure rushed up to the crippled man and hugged him, thanking him for all his help in accomplishing her dream. Of course she quickly let go when she noticed his pained winces and apologised. 

Suddenly a black portal opened up with Midoriya and his mother running through with tearful grins on their faces. 

“Dad! I got in. I came second overall in the entire test” Ouch. She was happy for Midoriya, she was. But at the same time she couldn’t help but feel a little hurt and jealous at the fact that the Quirkless kid had come second while she had only just scraped through. 

Still she was glad that both of them were one step closer to accomplishing their dreams. She wiped away her tears and went up to Midoriya. 

“Second, huh? Wow, Midoriya. That’s great. I guess we’re both one step closer to accomplishing our goals, right?” she lightly patted his shoulder.

Upon noticing her, Midoriya blushed “O-oh Hagakure, I didn’t see you there”. And that statement was followed by groans from her and her uncle. 

“That pun was completely unintentional!”

“Well, despite that I’m proud of you kids. Despite all the obstacles in your way, you’ve successfully overcome the first hurdle. Of course that doesn’t give you permission to slack off, now” her uncle said. 

At that moment Midoriya finally seemed to register what had happened. “Wait Hagakure, you got in too?! That’s great!” 

Hagakure sheepishly put a hand to her head and giggled “Yeah, but unlike you I only just managed to scrape by on rescue points so it’s not really impressive”.

“I disagree! Out of the 10,800 applicants for the exam you managed to make the cut of the 36 best students. That means you were deemed good enough to be in the top 0.009 percent of people taking the exam. Besides I only got second place because of rescue points as well so I’m not as impressive either”.

“Wait so your trying to understate your score by saying rescue points don’t really matter?”

Midoriya seemed to get what she meant because he immediately backtracked “Well, no but really all I did was take out a robot worth zero points”.

“You took out the Zero Pointer! Just what the hell happened Midoriya?!” She had no doubt that his analytical skills were some of the greatest but where had this scrawny Quirkless boy attained such power?

“Oh dear, he just inherited All Might’s Quirk” her aunt said as if it was an afterthought. 

“I see” So Midoriya didn’t work as hard as she did, he just got lucky enough to get power from the right person at the right time. Hagakure honestly didn’t know whether to feel jealous or relieved. She settled for shock, especially for what came next.

“Yes and broke all his bones while doing it. I told you inheriting that Quirk was a bad idea. You should’ve just used Stone Cutter” her uncle said with a smug tone.

“I couldn’t and two people were in danger!”

“You should’ve been more concerned about yourself”

“That’s not what a hero does” 

“Clearly we look at different Pros”.

Hagakure was starting to grow frustrated as Inko sighed. It was like she was used to these debates or something. “Uh, can one of you please explain to me the whole Stone Cutter and All Might’s Quirk thing?”

Midoriya seemed nervous but complied when her uncle spoke up “Go on Izuku, she’s practically family anyway”.

Midoriya seemed confused but decided to ignore the questions he wanted to answer in favor of an explanation. 

“Right, well it all started about 10 months ago when I nearly drowned in sewage and was saved by a magma man”.

Oh so this was going to be one of those stories. Neat.

* * *

It had been a good 45 minutes but Hagakure had finally been told of what exactly had transpired in the past 10 months. The watch-wielding vigilante and his partner, Adrian and One For All.

“I can’t believe you got chosen by All Might!” she squealed towards Izuku who was madly blushing. 

“It’s not really impressive... All I did was blindly run into danger and add another hostage. Sorry I can’t help show you the potential of us disadvantaged”

“ Oh, who cares about that? All Might chose you. If he chose me, I’d have done the same thing and at least you still tried something while 5 Pros were just going to let him die” Although there was a fake undertone to her words. She seemed to be trying to hide her displeasure at the situation.

“Yes, well as lovely as this conversation was, Izuku I think your father is near the end of his rope when it comes to Hero conversation” Inko said as she peered towards her husband who was currently fidgeting and biting his lip.

“You know me so well dear. Don’t worry, just because you two got into U.A. doesn’t mean I’m going to lighten my disdain for the industry but that’s a topic for another time. With how late it is, that you all should be going home”.

And just like that, a black portal appeared out of nowhere no doubt leading to the Midoriya residence.

“Hagakure, Hisashi told me you live alone. If you would like you can stay the night at our apartment” Inko sent Hagakure a soft look and a warm smile as Hagakure accepted her offer. Hisashi waited for a few seconds before the portal dissipated in front of him.

“Well, great the girl’s in U.A. Now what, sensei?” a raspy voice asked from the darkness. 

“Now we initiate phase two. First Tomura, we need to polish your acting skills. Our plan hinges on you being able to give a convincing performance. Imagine I’m a hostage in a situation and you’re going to kill me”.

Tomura made his way over to him and held out his hand near him. The hands that could destroy whatever they touched. Decay was a good Quirk but an impractical one. The woman who had it practically begged him to steal it from her, with how it ruined her life. It had taken some refining but eventually Hisashi had been able to make it into a usable Quirk for Tomura without giving up the essential parts for his development. It was still constantly active but now the user had to apply all five fingers to activate. Such a weakness should help teach Tomura about control. What was he thinking about again? 

“Listen here, you damn NPC! If you don’t meet my demands, I-I’m gonna kiiiiiiiiiiiiii...” Tomura branched off before quickly removing his hand and running to the other end of the room.

“What are you doing Tomura?”

“I-I can’t do it sensei!” his raspy voice cried out. His mask disguising the stray tears rolling down his face.

“Don’t worry, you have plenty of time to work out the kinks” Hisashi’s voice took on a more gentle and understanding tone.

“Could I practice on Kurogiri?” Tomura said hopefully.

‘Oh. So that’s the problem’. It seemed that he may have been a bit too good of a mentor to Tomura. The manchild couldn’t hope to give a convincing performance if he was the hostage in question. Well, that put a dent in his plan but he could fix this

“Yes, of course” Hisashi said as he thought of an alternative route. All the while, Kurogiri protested about being the hostage. Whatever, it’s not like Tomura could actually harm him.

* * *

It was incredible how despite how much time had passed, some things never truly changed. Case in point Midoriya’s bedroom was still filled to the brim with Hero merch. Judging from the shapes, she could tell that most of it was All Might related. 

“So what did you want to talk about?” Midoriya asked as he twiddled his thumbs. 

Hagakure turned to him, the delight at her friend meeting and training with All Might had been replaced by something else. The more she thought about Midoriya’s story, the more negative her thoughts became. She supposed it was best to come right out with it like ripping off a band-aid. “Before you met All Might, did you ever actually train?”

“No, why?” Midoriya raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s just we talked about working harder than anyone else so we could be heroes and it doesn’t seem like you took your own words to heart”.

Midoriya looked down, ashamed at himself. 

“Like, I’ve been training since elementary school and yet I only barely managed to get into the Hero Course. Meanwhile, you only trained for 10 months and yet you scored second!” Her words were starting to drip with venom. She hated it. It didn’t matter how long Midoriya had trained for, he had still trained to get into the Hero Course but her words kept going. 

“It’s not fair! You were the one to inspire me to keep trying to be a hero but you didn’t do anything to secure your chances. I work my butt off for years and despite that I only manage to get in thanks to some random points I didn’t know about. You just get given a Quirk and all of your problems vanish. Sure, I got in but the only person supporting me is your dad and he doesn’t even care about Heroes! You have the Symbol of Peace in your corner! What hardships have you had to overcome?!” Shit she wasn’t supposed to say that!

Midoriya seemed to pick up on it and embraced her, his embarrassment temporarily forgotten “You’re wrong. I’m sorry if my training seems like a spit in the face of your hard work but All Might isn’t in my corner and my dad’s not the only one in yours”. 

Hagakure was starting to sob, her breaths becoming heavy. “My parents-” 

“Would be proud of you! Like I said you’re in the top 0.009% of U.A. applicants. You’re well on your way to proving that someone that’s practically Quirkless can be a Hero. I believe in you”.

Hagakure cried harder and returned Midoriya’s hug. They stayed like that for a while as Midoriya encouraged her to let all of her stress out. Eventually Hagakure felt better and rubbed the tears away from her eyes. 

“Hey, Midoriya”

“Yeah?”

“What did you mean when you said All Might wasn’t in your corner?” She could feel his grimace in response to her question. Clearly the hero fanboy wasn’t as big a fan as All Might as he used to be.

Midoriya sighed before turning to Hagakure. He put his hand to his chin and narrowed his eyes. Perhaps she had crossed a line? But she had just revealed the deaths of her parents to him. Surely she deserved some information in return.

“All Might doesn’t believe in me” Midoriya said firmly. 

“What? But he gave you his power”

“So I could succeed him, yes. He believes that anyone with One For All can be a great hero, even a Quirkless person. His belief is towards his own Quirk, not me. It’s why I tried not to use it during the Entrance Exam”. 

“You what?!” Midoriya didn’t want to use One For All during the exam but if that’s the case, how did he get so many points? As if reading her mind Midoriya answered her.

“I only used One For All once and that was to save two people from the Zero Pointer. They were incapacitated and there was no other option. All of my villain points were thanks to Stone Cutter, which All Might had nothing to do with, remember?”

She didn’t. She had effectively been stewing ever since Midoriya told her about inheriting One For All and as such she was clearly missing out on some details that Midoriya had tried to explain to her. But wait, if he didn’t use One For All...

“Hey, Midoriya could you teach me Stone Cutter?” It was amazing how though she was blind, she could still see the gleam in Midoriya’s eyes. It was like he had this happy energy to him.

“Sure, though I’m going to have to call Ben”. The watch-wielding vigilante, why?

“He’ll be able to construct an ice sculpture for you to break”.

“Huh?” But Midoriya wasn’t paying attention to her. He was already mumbling to himself about making a training regimen for her. But U.A. started in 2 weeks! 

“Uh, Midoriya you don’t have to go through all this trouble” she sweatdropped. Sure having such a technique was good and all but she still planned to be more of a stealth-based hero. It would be best to only use it as a last-resort rather than using it to substitute a Quirk. 

However, Midoriya had stopped paying attention altogether and was mumbling up a storm. Whatever, at least it was nice having another person willing to support her. They spent the rest of the night just talking about what things the future would bring now that they were in U.A.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not exactly happy with this one. In fact I had it ready a few days ago but put it off because I just didn't like how it turned and tried to change it. I feel like Midoriya and Hagakure's interactions were a bit stilted and forced. Regardless, this chapter serves as an interlude of sorts. As you likely noticed, the first half of the season was fairly slow-paced and was toned in a sense of preparation or foreboding for the Entrance Exam. With them in U.A and having surpassed the first hurdle, that's definitely going to change. 
> 
> The chapter title obviously refers to their acceptance into U.A. but I realized it could also refer to Hagakure accepting how Midoriya's becoming a hero... or some crap like that, I dunno. Naturally, next chapter will be covering their first day at U.A and will explore some of the ramifications of the differences from canon. As always comments and criticism are appreciated (especially considering I can't seem to get a hold of making my characters less forced).


	17. Quirk Assessment Test

Midoriya woke up this morning, completely refreshed and anew. It had only been a couple of weeks since his acceptance but it was really starting to sink in. He was going to the same school as All Might! And Endeavor and Best Jeanist and so many other great heroes. 

“Morning Midoriya” was said by two different voices. 

“Morning!” he replied cheerfully.

Hatsume had fallen asleep in the garage again and so it was agreed to just let her sleep. Her parents trusted the Midoriyas with the pink haired engineer and thought it would be good for her. She barely got any sleep in the first place, up all night making babies. That came out wrong. It was like she knew this would happen because her uniform and school supplies just happened to be in the bag of things she had brought with her.

The other voice belonged to Hagakure. Given that her apartment was in Kamino Ward, his dad had thought it was a better idea for her to temporarily relocate to the Midoriya household, rather than have her look for another apartment, especially considering it was with his money that she would’ve been using. 

She had questioned why Kurogiri, his dad’s teleporter couldn’t just drop her off but apparently Kurogiri had a limit to how many times he could teleport and also had a job to do. He wouldn’t always be around to be able to teleport her to and from school. 

Well that was his dad’s explanation at least. Kurogiri however, had chosen to angrily reply that “I’m not some pack mule you can abuse!” or something and that’s all that will be said on the matter.

Anyway the two girls had gotten acquainted immediately though that was mainly Hatsume pushing to get another client. She also seemed to have a habit of feeling Hagakure up in just the same way as him. Did she have a muscle fetish or did she really just like feeling up other people? Hagakure didn’t seem to mind though.

With breakfast finished and a quick speech by his mother about how proud she was that the three of them were in U.A. they left for school.

“So Midoriya, anything you’re looking forward to?” Hagakure asked.

“Well. I would be excited to be taught under Pro Heroes and I’m looking forward to what teachers we have but unfortunately we’ll probably spend the day doing orientation or the opening ceremony so we won’t actually get any work done”.

Hagakure laughed “Only you would prefer school work over a free day, Midoriya”.

“Actually I have to agree with Midoriya here. I just want to jump straight into the workshop and work on my babies!” Hatsume grinned before frowning “But if we have to spend the day for orientation, i don’t get any work done and if I can’t work, then I have less time to make babies, which means I have less babies to show off to those bigshot corporations and...”

“We get it!” Her two companions interrupted. 

“I don’t know what you’re so upset about Invisible Girl. It’s thanks to my hard work that you’re not so blind anymore” 

This was the first time Midoriya was hearing about it though given Hatsume’s other inventions (like the void projector or the solid rainbow generator), he wasn’t exactly surprised. He turned to Hagakure who seemed to be contemplating something.

“I appreciate your work Hatsume but your baby leaves something to be desired”.

“Impossible!!” the engineer yelled dramatically. 

“It’s just a big helmet and it’s so heavy I can barely carry it anywhere. It also has a tendency to overheat and burn me. Perhaps one of the upsides to being invisible is that you can’t see how much hair your invention has made me lose” Hagakure seemed to be making a pointing gesture but it just looked like her shirt sleeve was flapping around in the wind. 

Hatsume had seemingly summoned a notebook out of nowhere and was taking note of all of her baby’s flaws. “Well I can’t make it much more streamlined but perhaps U.A. has materials that could make such a thing possible. It would probably be better if it wasn’t made out of junk people had thrown out.”

“I was wearing a garbage helmet?!”

“Well, you know what they say one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure”

“Did you at least wash it?!” Hatsume gave Hagakure a long stare before turning back to her notebook. 

“As for the overheating, adding a water tank would be a temporary fix but would only serve to make the helmet more bulky”.

“Don’t ignore me Hatsume”. 

“Oh. Perhaps I could get my hands on some coolant. Though that would require better materials.”

“Hatsume!”

“Whatever the case it must not be cold enough so that the photokinetic engine can still continue running. Otherwise, that renders the entire project that I worked so hard on pointless. It wouldn’t do to keep Hagakure blind”.

Hagakure was now shaking Hatsume’s arm to get her to pay attention, demanding to know where the helmet had come from. 

“Well, if it isn’t the boy who destroyed the Zero Pointer. It’s a pity he doesn’t quite know how Quirks work if last night was any indication” a smug voice called out. All three of them looked up at the voice, which belonged to a blonde boy with blue eyes.

“Monoma!” Midoriya called out, with a grin. The two had kept in touch since the Entrance Exam, going over Quirk theories and analysis. Last night they had been in a debate over the Pro Hero Jinx. Quirk: Lucky. Midroiya believed her Quirk was functioned as a barrier for her, always activated so that bad luck never befell her. Monoma (wrongly) believed that it was a conscious wave of probability that activated at her mere thoughts. 

“It’s so good to see you. Even if your pride is misplaced” Midoriya said prompting a scoff from Monoma. 

“Hm. Well at least I get to meet the Invisible Girl herself” 

“What does he mean by that?” Hagakure had an edge to her voice. She didn’t like the idea of people talking about her behind her back. 

“Uh, well, we are- your Quirk has been an interesting point of conversation for the both of us” Midoriya stuttered. Hagakure growled but thankfully Monoma was there to save him.

“Yes. A mutation Quirk from two transformation ones is very interesting. However, the fact that you also developed a Super Senses Quirk as a result makes you much more rare and interesting than the usual flashy Quirks we talk about. You’re particularly inspiring given how you managed to pass the exam practically Quirkless” Monoma said but he had dropped the smug tone. His words seemed sincere, as if he knew from experience what it was like to have a weak Quirk.

Hagakure made a satisfied hum and said “Well ok, then. Nice to meet you Monoma”, holding her hand out for him to shake. Monoma promptly turned invisible though Hagakure couldn’t exactly see it. While she did hear her friends’ cries of “What?!”, it was different. She could almost feel as if the light in her surroundings was bending around something else now. 

“Shit I’m blind!” Though there were other problems to attend to at the moment. 

“What just happened?!” Hatsume yelled out.

“He copied Hagakure’s Quirk. He tends to have control over them but mutations are different for obvious reasons. It’ll wear off in five minutes” Midoriya explained. Hatsume had a big grin on her face, realising the sheer opportunity that Monoma offered but was shut down by Midoriya.

“OK, what class are you in?”

“Class B!” Monoma said frantically. And so the three lead Monoma to his class. The copy wore off just as they got there. 

Monoma was clearly blushing at the embarrassment that had befallen him. “Uh. Thanks, I guess. I guess I’ll see you around” he said before entering the class. 

Midoriya checked the time and yelled out “Crap, we’re gonna be late for class! See ya Hatsume”. Hatsume merely waved goodbye before running to her own class of Class 1-H. 

Although as it turns out, they didn’t have far to run. Their class was actually right next door to Class B though for some reason a yellow caterpillar thing was on the ground. Midoriya opened the door with a forced smile.

“What’s wrong?” 

“Well it would seem that two people I don’t really like are in the same class as me” he said, his facial muscles not really moving at all. 

“Remove your foot from that desk! Such an action is insulting to those who came to U.A. before us as well as those who made the desk!” the glasses guy commanded

“Like I care. What middle school are ya from, you extra?” Kacchan said.

‘I figured I would have to deal with at least Kacchan but the guy from the Entrance Exam is here too?!’

Said guy was now making his way towards Midoriya and Hagakure. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the two troublemakers at the exam”.

“Oh c’mon, we were just doing the Plus Ultra pose to psych ourselves up!” Hagakure whined. 

“And blocked the way for other attendees taking the exam. I am still bewildered at how you two managed to get into this prestigious academy”.

“Rescue points” Midoriya mumbled. 

“I find that to be preposterous. I find it unlikely that the two of you managed to figure out the hidden portion of the exam.

“We didn’t” Midoriya felt it was best if he said as little as possible when confronting this guy. Unfortunately, things were about to get sooo much worse.

“DEKU!!”

Kacchan had gotten up and had pinned him to the wall. He was making a face he hadn’t made since before the Sludge Villain incident.

“How the hell did a shitty nerd like you get second?!” his hands were sparking dangerously close to his face. Well it wasn’t anything he hadn’t dealt with before. Although he hadn’t been like this when he found out Midoriya had gotten into U.A. Probably just saw his name at the top of the list, smirked and then dismissed everyone else as extras.

“Second place?!” the strict student exclaimed. “I only came in sixth! There must be some mistake here”.

“ENOUGH!” 

The caterpillar transformed into a man with red eyes and wavy hair. Bakugou’s explosions stopped. Iida’s thoughts had been interrupted and all conversation within the classroom ceased. All eyes were on him. 

“I had hoped you would all be mature enough to sit in your seats and wait for the teacher but it seems I expected too much from the next generation of heroes”.

“Yes! Our teacher is rig-” Iida tried to say but was cut off.

“You started the conflict. If you think you should have more say over who gets accepted than the school itself, you can just leave” the man’s glare completely destroying Iida’s uptight and strict attitude. 

“Yes sir” Iida slumped.

“Alright then. Since you lot can’t behave yourselves, I believe a lesson is in store for you. Get changed into your P.E. uniforms and head out to the grounds”.

As the class changed, Midoriya couldn’t help but feel there was something familiar about the man. Then it suddenly hit him as everyone else was leaving.

“You’re Eraserhead!”

Eraserhead looked stunned at the fact that somebody he had just met had recognised him.

“Wow really, Eraserhead. You inspired me to be a hero! Well partially” an invisible girl said. Hagakure, if he remembered right. 

Eraserhead wasn’t sure how to react. Not one but two of his students recognised him. He was meant to be an underground Hero and he took that job because he didn’t like the publicity and now his class contained two people who not only recognised him but were praising him. What was he supposed to do in this situation?!

He settled for cold indifference “If you just came to this school to fawn over Pro Heroes, you shouldn’t be here” he said walking out.

“He’s just as cold as you said, Midoriya!”.

* * *

“What’re you doing?” a silly voice spoke causing All Might to look up from the faculty registry. He saw a diminutive, black and white alien with green spots on his shoulders standing on the desk looking at him curiously.

“Aren’t you supposed to be securing the perimeter?”

“Ditto is” the alien spoke before his body morphed and split into two. The clones nodded and and started poking him.

“So what’cha doing?”

All Might batted away their tiny forms. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to possess the standard superhuman condition that most of Tennyson’s alien forms possessed. Even his weakened state was more than a match for the two of them. 

Unfortunately they just split again. Though All Might was stronger and faster than them, Ditto had the advantage in numbers and it seemed like he had no limit to the amount of clones he could produce. 

Not seeing a way out of this, All Might huffed in resignation “I was checking the faculty registry for Young Midoriya’s teachers. I simply wished to see the kinds of teachers that would be monitoring over him. It says that he has some underground hero called Eraserhead”.

“Eraserhead, huh? That’s rough” one of the clones said, while on top of a chair, causing all three to hum in agreement.

“What do you mean?” He knew that the teachers at U.A. had some freedom in how they taught their classes but surely one of them couldn’t be that bad.

“Uh. Well. He kinda, maybe, sorta expelled an entire class last year” a Ditto said on the edge of the table.

“He what?!” All Might slammed the table causing the ditto to fall and bruise his butt. 

“Ow!” All four Dittos exclaimed before starting to badger All Might “Hey, watch it/ We feel each other’s pain y’know/ Have you no respect for others/ Aren’t ya meant to be the number one Hero or something” And so on.

“I think I’ll just have a quick look into Eraserhead’s class” he announced.

“Uh. He won’t be there though/He’ll be on the fields/ doing the/Quirk Assessment Test!” all four Ditto’s proclaimed. Were they constantly in sync? But then how would the other clones littered around the school be acting? Questions for later.

All Might started running for the grounds though it was significantly harder with the four clones grabbing onto him and yelling “Onwards!”

* * *

“Today we’ll be performing a test of your Quirks. Anyone in last place or doesn’t take this seriously enough will be expelled”.

“EXPELLED?!” the class yelled out. 

“But what about the opening ceremony orientation?” a brown haired girl asked. Uraraka, if he remembered correctly.

“There’s no time to waste on that stuff if you want to become heroes. We only have three years before you lot become heroes and there’s a lot to cover. If you don’t have the determination or are willing to put in the work, you may as well leave now. If you have the time to complain about how others are not as deserving of their place, you clearly aren’t taking this seriously enough” Eraserhead finished his little ramble by sending a glare towards Bakugou and Iida. 

Bakugou reacted by merely replying with a “Tch”, his hands smoking as he glared at Midoriya. Iida, however was still slumping and responded with a simple “Understood”. Good. Perhaps this meant that he wouldn’t have as many problem children as last year. At least he only seemed to have one kid that was willing to start fires, this time. 

Eraserhead continued “Softball throwing, the standing long jump, the 50-meter dash, endurance running, grip strength, side to side stepping, upper body training, seated toe touch. All 8 of these events were your standard no Quirks allowed gym tests in middle school. Well it’s time to see how well you would do if we lifted that irrational ban”. 

“Let’s start with our champion of the Entrance Exam. Bakugou, how well could you throw without your Quirk?”

Bakugou stiffened as he made his way to the circle “Last time I checked, it was about 70 meters”.

“Great. Now try it with your Quirk”.

Bakugou grinned viciously at the prospect of being able to show off how powerful he truly was. He grasped the ball firmly in his hand before moving to throw it. As he threw it, he yelled “Die!” and the ball was propelled by the explosions of his Quirk.

Eraserhead faintly heard a “Yes!” in the distance. Clearly the vigilante was wasting his time watching the class instead of the school. The device in Eraserhead’s hand beeped and showed that Bakugou had been able to throw the ball a whopping 709.5 meters. Hm, well the kid certainly had potential at least.

“It is important to know your limits. That will be the first step towards figuring out what kinds of heroes you will be”. 

Perhaps in another timeline, the kids would be thrilled at not only Bakugou’s score but the prospect of being able to use their Quirks with no restrictions. However, they were still stuck on the ‘expulsion bomb’ that Eraserhead dropped. They knew what the stakes were. Some of them were visibly shaking, even the two fans of his that encountered him in the classroom. 

Of course he had no intention of detonating said bomb. From the entrance exam, he could see that all of them had potential to be great heroes. This was merely a logical ruse to get them to try their best. Of course, they didn’t need to know that nor did the vigilante and Symbol of Peace spying on the class.

* * *

Midoriya was in trouble. Deep trouble. He was in a test for Quirks and he couldn’t even use his without breaking his bones! He hadn’t even been use One For All since the Entrance Exam! Up against 19 other people who could use theirs with no restraint. The one exception was Hagakure, who he could tell was also bothered by this test but even her years of training trumped his 10 months and so even she would be beating him.

“Psst!” What? Midoriya looked around as the class started the first event but could see nothing.

“Down here” Midoriya looked at the ground to see a hole with a black head submerged in it. Ditto. Power: Self-duplication. He can divide himself into clones with practically no limit. Enhanced digging. Possibly has shared telepathy among clones. Weaknesses: Below average physicality. Any damage felt by one clone is felt by all of them. Overall, it is one of Tennyson’s gimmick aliens, with the flaws outweighing the benefits.

“I take offence to that! I am not gimmick!/ Me too/ Me three/ Me four” Oh. He said that out loud. How many clones were there and what were they doing here? 

“Look no time for that. I just need to tell you not to use One For All”

“But why?” Midoriya asked, making a confused expression.

“Well, to put it into your words. It’s a gimmick power. The flaws outweigh the benefits, right?” OK clearly they are still upset at being called a gimmick. “You could get a really good score in one event but/ then every score afterwards would be terrible/ so you see it’s not worth it”. 

There was truth to his words but Eraserhead said...

“That whoever comes in last place will be expelled, right. Do you really think grape kid over there is going to beat you most of the time?/ Or any of the kids that haven’t become super buff” No. That’s right. He didn’t need to come first. He just needed to make sure he didn’t come last!

“Midoriya and Bakugou, you’re up.” Eraserhead’s tired voice called out. 

Midoriya’s spirit was engulfed in determination. He turned to Ditto to thank him but all that there was was just a hole. It seemed they left to avoid Eraserhead catching them out. Midoriya walked up to the track and ran as hard as he could without One For All, avoiding Bakugou trying to blast him away and completed the track in 6.88 seconds.

* * *

“What did you tell him?” All Might asked. 

“Oh, we just told him not to use One For All”

“WHAT?!” All Might yelled, prompting the class to look their way. 

“Keep it down!” 

“I just don’t understand. He’s under threat of expulsion and you tell him not to use his greatest power!” 

“Said power breaks his limbs thus ruining his overall average score. Just trust us, ok?”

All Might grumbled but there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to hope Eraserhead wouldn’t be too harsh on him.

* * *

For the rest of the events, Midoriya tried his best without using One For All and sure enough he was actually doing surprisingly decent. For grip strength, he placed above average in the class though still paled in comparison to powerhouses like the multi-limbed student. Did controlling them require more brainpower to operate them? Or did he have to use absolute focus to control each and every one? Questions for later.

The standing long jump yielded a similar result. He couldn’t compare with those who could propel themselves into the air with explosions, lasers, cannons etc. But neither could most of the class. For the most part it was an event that forced a lot of the students to be Quirkless themselves.

Side stepping was much closer. There was only one standout example. The grape kid who accumulated piles of balls to bounce himself off them but he had done so badly in the rest of the tests that this one excellent result wasn’t going to change anything. What was he so worried about? 

Little did Midoriya know that he was being watched closely by his teacher. He went up to the softball throw and threw a pitiful 80 meters. Yet despite the fact that it wasn’t the best in the class or even top 10, he was smiling in contentment. It was that smile that caused Eraserhead to leap into action. 

Before Midoriya knew it, he was wrapped in a bandage cloth. His teacher’s eyes glowing blood red while his hair stood on end.

“I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt because despite your reckless self-inflicted damage against the Zero Pointer, you still adequately showed the potential to be a great hero. And yet even with the threat of expulsion you find that it’s appropriate to smile with a mediocre score like that”.

Midoriya shrunk under his teacher’s gaze. You may not be coming last but you haven’t deemed this important enough to even use your Quirk. If you think this is a waste of your time, then I believe your schooling here will be an equal waste of my time”.

Midoriya gulped. “Now if you’re willing to actually _try_ then you can have another go”. Eraserhead threw the ball back to Midoriya. 

‘This isn’t good! If I use my Quirk I’ll be incapacitated but if I don’t I’ll be expelled anyway’ Midoriya thought. He had to come up with something when suddenly it hit him ‘He probably thinks my Quirk is Stone Cutter. If that’s the case this should be easy’.

Midoriya summoned up all the courage he could and talked back to one of his personal heroes “Y-yeah but s-so what?”

“Hm?”

“So what if I didn’t use my Quirk? It’s ill-suited for these events. You’re not threatening that guy” Midoriya pointed to the blonde kid he’d seen in the exam. Said student just pointed to himself dumbly “And why would you? He’s got an electrification Quirk so it wouldn’t make sense to expel him for not using a Quirk that won’t help him”.

Eraserhead glared at him. Well, he’d just made one of his personal heroes pissed at him. That’s alright. It really is.

“True but Kaminari is not you, Midoriya. You have a super strength Quirk. Such a strong Quirk that you can create shockwaves and take out the Zero Pointer”.

“WHAT?!” yelled the class. Bakugou for his part, looked like he was having a seizure at the reveal of just how powerful Midoriya had become.

“I actually have a vibration inducement Quirk! I can only do those things through touch”.

Eraserhead looked at him incredulously but as he thought back to the Entrance Exam, he did recall finding it weird that Midoriya always touched the ground before unleashing a shockwave. It was a plausible enough explanation but there was something wrong with it.

Aizawa was torn between his professional, underground hero side that sought the truth or his regular, apathetic and tired side which just wanted to go home and sleep. His apathy won out in the end. “Very well. Let’s just get this over with”.

Bakugou, however, was having an internal conflict of his own. After the revelation that shitty Deku not only had a Quirk but also one powerful enough to take out the Zero Pointer, he was torn between his usual aggressive side that would try and blow Deku up and his curiosity that would torture Deku for answers and then blow him up. 

“Well I have a plan to remedy that but you’re gonna have to beat it out of me” Bakugou’s eyes widened as he thought back to the events of last year. Deku talking about Tennyson’s supposedly Quirkless partner and Tennyson teasing him about how Deku had managed to bring down a factory and now this. Tennyson had helped Shitty Deku find a Quirk somehow.

Bakugou didn’t know what to make of this information but one thing was clear. Bakugou was seeing red and all of his killing intent was aimed at Deku. His hands sparked as he went flying towards Deku and yelled “DEKU!!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ABOUT A VIBRATION QUIRK?! How’d you get it you worthless loser?! How’d Tennyson help you?”

“Why don’t you ask me yourself?!” a voice yelled out before slamming him into the head. And lo and behold, it was the vigilante himself in that black and white form that could multiply himself but was really easy to beat.

“How-”

“Whoops got to go Bakugou! He looks mad” and just like that the vigilante dug a hole into the ground.

Bakugou was about to look behind him but found himself covered in a scarf. He tried to use his Quirk but couldn’t. He was helpless to do anything, just like with the Sludge Villain or Goop except now he couldn’t even use his Quirk. He certainly didn’t have to stop himself from freaking out even though he may’ve held his breath for a few seconds to steady his breathing. He vaguely heard voices telling him that it’ll be alright. 

When he looked up he noticed he wasn’t caught up in the bandages anymore, Deku and his teacher were looking at him in concern. Further back the class looked on in worry.

‘Tch. Even now, that Sludge bastard still has me in his grasp’ His sessions with Kr’lk had been helping (or at least Kr’lk said they were) but he still wasn’t strong enough. He still had panic attacks out of the blue. In the midst of all this he had completely forgotten about the circumstances leading up to his panic attack in the first place.

“Kacchan are you-”

“I’m fine you damn nerd!” he said.

“Bakugou. You aren’t fine. If you can’t handle a little disciplinary action, how do you expect to become a hero?” Eraserhead sternly said. The boy had potential to be a great hero but if he was hindered by such small things, his potential substantially decreased. 

Bakugou chose to ignore him and kept walking while the class whispered to themselves.

“Bakugou...”

“I don’t know ok?! I’ve been trying to fix it but nothing seems to be working. But it won’t get in the way of me becoming a Hero, I promise!”

Aizawa looked at him skeptically. This wasn’t just some issue that you could fix by trying hard enough. It was full on PTSD. Aizawa, himself, had some experience with the disorder. A short fuse and PTSD. If he became a hero he would be a PR nightmare, showing the absolute worst the Hero Industry had to offer.

On the other hand, Bakugou was incredibly skilled and had a powerful Quirk. He had consistently placed top 5 in each of his events so far and the versatility of his Quirk would make him a brilliant hero. He had a minimum of three years before he became a hero. That was plenty of time to work out the kinks in his personality and hopefully get a hold on his PTSD.

“See that it doesn’t” Aizawa sighed.

Bakugou didn’t show it but on the inside he was jumping for joy. His dream was still achievable. That Sludge bastard hadn’t ruined it for him. He did need to get a handle on his trauma buttons though...

* * *

The rest of the events went by as planned. There were no standout moments at all.

“Alright time for the results” Eraserhead said as he pressed a button. Everyone in the class knowing what the stakes were for the lowest scorer. Those who hadn’t tried hard enough had been reprimanded accordingly but had not been expelled so the only one getting expelled today was the person in last. 

All eyes locked onto the name at number 20: Minoru Mineta.

“NOOOO!” the grape kid yelled out. 

“Also I was lying about expelling someone” Eraserhead said with a nightmarish grin. “That was merely a rational deception to bring out the best in you”.

“WHAAAT?!” said most of the class barring a few who seemed to be arrogant enough to say that they knew all along.

Midoriya quickly scanned the board for his number and was pleased to find he was number 11, just behind Hagakure. In fact he had to actually tell her that given her... situation.

“Well, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be” the invisible girl said to him. “We’re just average compared to the class”

Midoriya smiled and said “True but we had the advantage of training our bodies. Most people only train their Quirks and while that’s great for people like Kacchan who have versatile Quirks, it can be a major problem for people like that electricity guy”.

The two picked up their curriculum documents and made their way to the Midoriya household. They may not have gotten to the top of the class but they did surprisingly well for two people who couldn’t use their Quirks at all. Unfortunately the sentiment was not shared by everyone.

Bakugou thought back to the scoreboard as he picked up the curriculum. Third, barely. And he had had another panic attack. Why? During the months of training with Tennyson and the compulsory therapy he had to go through, Bakugou felt he had been making progress. 

Now, he knew he wasn’t completely fixed but still. His nightmares of the incident had lessened considerably and he wasn’t feeling so damn helpless anymore. Until now. And of course, it had been in front of all his new classmates. Bakugou clenched his fists and bit his lip. There was only one thing to do. 

“Tennyson! I know you’re there. I think I need to have another therapy session”. The sooner he got it over with, the sooner he’d be able to become a Hero.

“I agree” a silly voice called out. It would probably be serious but the fact that Ditto sounded like an Animaniac undercut the situation a bit. 

* * *

Later that night. ‘Things are starting to look up’ Hagakure thought as she got ready for bed. She had gotten into Japan’s top Hero Academy, reconciled with a childhood acquaintance, made a few more friends and had proved her potential as a hero. 

Like Eraserhead said, the next three years weren’t going to be easy but right now nothing could bring her mood down. And just like that she was swallowed by a black void. 

“Welcome Ms. Hagakure” a deep voice spoke out. One that she recognised as Kurogiri.

“I must congratulate you on your Entrance to U.A”.

“What do you want?”

“Oh. Nothing much. I just want information on All Might. He works at the school does he not?”

“I didn’t take you for an All Might fanboy Kurogiri. Well sorry, but he hasn’t started teaching us yet. Nothing to tell, I’m afraid”.

“You misunderstand. I want very specific information. His whereabouts at certain times and places and especially his weaknesses”.

“Haha. I almost mistook you for a villain, Kurogiri. You could seriously be an actor” Though despite her words, Hagakure was quickly becoming more afraid that something was wrong.

“Oh. I wouldn’t exactly call myself a villain. I merely work for an organization who wants information on All Might and I’ve found the perfect spy to get it”.

“But I don’t want to be a spy! I want to be a hero”.

“And just what kind of Hero do you think you’ll be in three years? The kind that is flashy and well-known for taking down villains or the kind that hides in the shadows and performs reconnaissance?” Those words struck a nerve in Hagakure. For years, she had been determined to become a Hero and shrugged off any idea of her being a spy but for the first time she had come to the conclusion that those two occupations may not be so different.

“Consider this as training for the future”.

“I won’t do it! I won’t work for villains like you!”

“Oh. You will, if you want to save the last connection to your parents” Kurogiri’s voice had become increasingly cold that Hagakure felt chills down her spine.

“What?!”

The black expanse disappeared and she was in the room with her uncle. Her uncle was snoring slightly, clearly unaware of the newfound presence or the fact that his head was in a portal right now...

Hagakure turned to Kurogiri, whose golden eyes glowed. Just like that the portal started to close in around her uncle’s neck. The horrible realization dawned on her that Kurogiri’s Quirk was the perfect murder weapon. He could teleport a person’s limbs off or in this case decapitate them and dispose of the evidence. She wanted to do something, anything to save the last family she had but she couldn’t. 

Tears rolled down her face as she realised just how helpless she was in this situation. Even if she went to the authorities or some hero, Kurogiri could merely teleport away and finish the job. 

“Fine. I’ll do it. Just stop! Please” she pleaded with the gaseous teleporter who made a noise of some kind before dispelling the portal and sending her back into her bedroom. 

“Hagakure?” And great now Midoriya was here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so begins the second arc of the season. It's pretty much the standard cookie cutter Quirk Assessment Test, with a few elements thrown in. For example, this is where we see just how much of a hold Bakugou's PTSD has on him. There's a reason why Eraserhead triggered it despite not being slimy in anyway but I'll save that for the next chapter. 
> 
> Another thing is For Want Of A Nail. Because Iida never saw how heroic Midoriya was, he retains his initial interpretation of the boy. Instead of awe and a reaction along the lines of "of course he deduced the hidden portion of the exam!", Iida's reaction is one of disbelief, bordering on thinking Midoriya and Hagakure cheated so naturally their relationship in this fic isn't going to be as smooth as in canon. Conversely, because Midoriya actually gave a somewhat competent performance in the Entrance Exam, Aizawa isn't singling him out from the start. 
> 
> So all in all, I'm actually happy with this chapter. The interactions aren't forced (or at least not as forced as they have been in the past), the plot for the chapter runs smoothly from what I can tell and it sets up the next chapter pretty well. As always comments and criticism are appreciated.


	18. Humiliation

“I just don’t understand. There wasn’t even any fucking similarity to the Sludge Villain so why’d I freak out like that?”

“Well, different people have different triggers” the blue woman before him explained. Her eyes looking down at the paper before her.

“And this trigger may not have been as different as you think.”

“Ha?”

“From what I understand, your panic attack was triggered by your teacher ensnaring you in his capture scarf. Trapping you in a way that made it difficult to move. While there was no sludge involved, you cannot deny that just the mere entrapment parallels your own near death situation”.

Bakugou grunted. Kr’lk was right that there were similarities. Now he had to deal with fucking binding attacks of any sort instead of just sludge.

“There is also the matter of your Quirk. While the incidents with the Sludge Villain and Goop allowed you to use your Quirk, it was still practically useless and even the mere use of it would go on to make the situation worse”.

Bakugou gritted his teeth “Your point?”

“Well, at least in those scenarios you still had access to your most powerful tool that you have been quite literally attached to since you were four years old. Eraserhead robbed you of that tool in a way that no one else could and it is expected that you would feel just as, if not more, helpless in that situation”.

Bakugou looked down at the ground, processing the information that Kr’lk had laid out for him. It was true that the situations were more similar than he thought and the fact that his teacher could openly invoke that helplessness within him wasn’t something he was comfortable with. However, there was one thing wrong in Kr’lk’s assessment. 

“Actually I’ve felt it before”.

Kr’lk looked at him intently, urging him to continue. Her aura was hungry, almost suffocating but when she noticed his discomfort the aura relaxed.

“Apologies. But what is this about feeling the loss of your Quirk before?” Apparently Kr’lk was something called an empatrian. A species of empathic beings. They always knew exactly what to do in situations regarding others. However, Kr’lk wasn’t all that content with just being able to help. She worked for the Plumbers as a therapist because she loved information. She loved the idea of someone opening up and telling her all their darkest secrets. Or maybe she just ate emotions, he didn’t really know.

Bakugou knew it wasn’t heroic behaviour, maybe even villainous but hey at least she wasn’t going around calling herself a hero. As long as she helped him become number 1, he really couldn’t care less what her motives were. It’s the same reason why he hadn’t reported Tennyson to the authorities. 

“Bakugou?”

Bakugou was snapped out of his thoughts and decided to focus on Kr’lk for the time being “Right. Well, it may seem weird but there was one incident when me and Deku were kids.”

“And by Deku, you mean your childhood friend Izuku Midoriya” Bakugou rolled his eyes. She did this in every new meeting. She’d always correct him whenever he’d say Deku. It was just a name.

“Yeah. Anyway, me and a couple of friends were beating up this other kid and Quirkless, shitty Deku decided to get in the way. Though I can’t remember any of their names weirdly enough” Kr’lk had long since become aware of his bullying habits but she didn’t seem to care enough to do anything about it. If Tennyson knew how bad he used to be, his training would’ve been canceled a long time ago.

“That’s ok. So what happened next? I presume Izuku tried to stop you and failed.”

“Yeah. He got a real beating. I guess I was in a bad mood or something because I wasn’t careful at all. After the ‘fight’, Deku had burns and bruises all over his face and arms. His clothes had been torn in some places, if I remember right”.

“I assume Izuku’s parents weren’t happy with that?”

Bakugou grimaced “Yeah. Auntie tried to sue the school and talked to my parents. After that the old hag who calls herself my mother started getting physical with me. Whacking me upside the head whenever she thought I was out of line. I was also grounded for a month or so”.

“However, that wasn’t the end of it, was it? You still had to deal with Izuku’s father Hisashi Midoriya. Though he was often overseas or off-planet, he wasn’t this time was he?” Kr’lk said with a devious smile on her face. Her antennae twitching, hoping to hear the end of the story.

“No. About a week into my punishment, I was visited by Deku’s dad and it was probably one of the worst experiences in my life. It only lasted 2-3 minutes and he only talked about how he was so disappointed in me, how I was proof of the failed society around us, stuff he normally says. All the while, there was this smothering sensation. It was like I was being choked out and then mid way through his conversation, it stopped”.

“I felt empty. I tried to attack that bastard but my Quirk wouldn’t activate. He kept talking and I was just flailing my arms outwards, desperately trying to activate my Quirk. I was close to tears when he finished and then he said _“Oh Katsuki. I do hope we don’t have another meeting like this. After all it would be such a tragedy if you and your mediocre Quirk were to disappear”_. I could feel it again but when I went to tell my parents, they just ignored me and that asshole denied it ever happened”.

“Interesting” Kr’lk said with a blush on her face. “So Hisashi’s been keeping secrets but that’s another matter” Kr’lk looked intently at Bakugou.

“If what you say did indeed happen, then perhaps your teacher triggered memories of a completely separate trauma. Did you ever think back to this moment?”

Bakugou thought for a while “I mean, the bastard always made me feel uneasy when he was around but I didn’t have nightmares of him or shit like that if that’s what you’re asking. The closest thing is maybe wondering what would happen if I really did lose my Quirk to him”.

“I see. Well what about Izuku himself?”

“What about that damn nerd?” Bakugou growled.

“Well, was there anything that stood out about him? What made you choose him as a target?”

“Pfft. The only thing that was special about that nerd was that he was Quirkless.”

“I see. Are you sure there was nothing else?”

“Of course not. Why are we even talking about him anyway?”

“Really? Because from our talks it sounds like you singled your childhood friend out specifically to assert your dominance over him. If you truly saw him as useless because of his lack of Quirk, why would you continue to belittle and demean him?” Kr’lk said with an even tone.

Bakugou growled “The damn nerd thought he could still be a hero! A Quirkless Hero! What a stupid idea. If he tried to be a Hero, he’d get himself killed. I was merely trying to break his spirit to protect hi-” 

Bakugou was cut off by a shift in the room. Kr’lk’s aura had flared outwards but instead of the hunger he had previously felt or the calm that she usually used for their meetings. This was anger in it’s purest form. And just as quickly as it appeared, Kr’lk composed herself. She breathed inwards and the aura receded. 

“My apologies, Katsuki but I absolutely have no taste for insincerity, especially in the form of excuses to cover up one’s inappropriate behaviour”.

“Wh-”

“Quiet.” That singular soft-spoken word was enough for Bakugou to believe that it was in his best interest to listen. Kr’lk could cut off his training at any time and he needed this.

“Now as a therapist, I really shouldn’t be saying this. My job is not to give you speeches on why you suck or tell you what you’re doing is wrong. My job is to help you move forward by coming to those realizations yourself. However, I must say that you did not bully Izuku to save him from himself or any crap like that. You did it because for some reason you felt threatened by him”.

Bakugou clenched his fists and growled. Threatened by Deku? She had to be joking. Kr’lk seemed to pick up on his thoughts.

“Of course, he wasn’t a threat to you in the physical sense. Even if he did have a Quirk like those “extras”, yours could’ve easily blown him away. However, there was something that made him stick out among those extras, wasn’t there? Something dangerous, that despite his lack of Quirk, he was still the biggest threat in the class for you. Perhaps something related to Hisashi? Lucky for you, he had no Quirk so you did the best thing your mind came up with and you tried to stamp it out before it actually became a problem”.

Smoke started rising from Bakugou’s hands as his therapist talked. He wanted her to stop talking about this but if he made a move... 

“Unfortunately, your bullying just made the threat even worse. No matter how many beatings or insults or dismissals that Izuku received, he just would not back down. Like a weed, the threat he posed would keep springing up. With nothing else to do, you continued bullying him in hopes that one time he would just stay down... but he didn’t. Your treatment got harsher and harsher until you finally told the poor boy to kill himself. So you don’t want him to get killed by a villain but it would be perfectly fine if he died jumping off a roof instead?”

“SHUT UP!” Bakugou yelled. Sure, he had told her about how bad he’d treated Deku but she’d taken it in stride. He didn’t understand why Kr’lk was making a big deal about it now. Though Bakugou did still feel that craving aura. Was this about Hisashi?

“You’re wrong. He’s just a shitty Deku who had a stupid dream. And I being the hero I am tried to stop him but he never listened”. His hands were now sparking but Kr’lk stopped them with a burst of calmness and ease.

“Then why couldn’t you let him get rejected by society?”

“Huh?”

“If you truly thought he was useless, then you’d think he would have no hope in achieving his dream. After all, how would a Quirkless kid be able to enter the most prestigious Hero School in Japan? Or how would he be able to go through the hurdles necessary to obtain a Hero License?” Kr’lk reasoned.

Bakugou was about to fire back when he realized he had nothing to say. He had no idea why he thought shitty Deku had a chance at becoming a Hero. He couldn’t fight villains without a license and he couldn’t do that without a Quirk. His confidence and bluster left him as he mumbled out “I don’t know”.

“Hm. Well it looks like we’ve made a breakthrough but unfortunately our time is up. We’ll continue this next week. Now if you’ll excuse me Katsuki, with all these revelations I have some uh business to attend to” She practically pushed him out of the room and to be honest, Bakugou did not want to be around that door when she started her ‘business’.

* * *

“Kurogiri’s a villain!” Midoriya exclaimed.

“Shhh! I know it’s a shock. I’m still dealing with it myself but he could be hearing us! What we need now is a plan. What do we do?” Hagakure whispered. 

“Well, we can’t tell anyone. Even if they did believe us, what could they possibly do against Kurogiri?” Midoriya clenched his fists.

“What about Tennyson?” Hagakure sighed. “He probably has an alien that could handle Kurogiri”.

“Not to my knowledge.” Midoriya said as he thought back to the various aliens that he had analysed. Those that Kurogiri couldn’t harm could just be sent to another country. 

“All we know about Kurogiri is that he can open up portals and is made of mist, we need to find a weakness of some kind. OK, here’s what we do. We play along with Kurogiri’s plan and spy on All Might. Whenever, we meet up with Kurogiri we pay attention for any subtle ticks that Kurogiri has, how his body works and with that information hopefully we could find something that could counter him”.

“Right. Besides, it’s not like any information could be useful to him, anyway. It’s All Might after all”.

“Right...” Midoriya said as he thought back to his 10 months of training and how he’d been able to analyse the various weaknesses that All Might had straight up trusted him with. Chief among them were his time limit and his weakened form. If Kurogiri got his hands on those... Well he hoped it would never come to that.

* * *

The following day, they started classes proper. Normally Midoriya would be ecstatic about things like having Present Mic as an English teacher or having his lunch prepared by Lunch Rush but this was no normal day. He was too busy thinking about the implications of what he’s doing.

He was going to betray the Symbol of Peace himself! All to protect his father who he hadn’t seen in 5 years. Yet Midoriya knew that he would make the same choice 100 times. His father had already been mutilated and put into a coma by some villain. He didn’t deserve reuniting with his son only to be killed.

Midoriya flashed through all the possible outcomes in his head. He saw all the ways Kurogiri could brutally kill his father. Decapitations, severance of limbs, slicing him in half etc. And that was only if used his portals as a weapon. Kurogiri could just as easily open a portal into outer space or into a volcano.

“Midoriya, are you ignoring me?” Hatsume asked. She seemed to have gone on a spiel about one of her babies. He vaguely remembered that it was some kind of camera and goggles. Great for surveillance and- oh who was he kidding? This whole Kurogiri business had put him in such a bad mood that he didn’t even feel like analysis at this moment.

“Sorry, Hatsume. I was just lost in thought”.

“What are we talking about?” asked Monoma as he came to sit next to them.

“Well, I was talking about my latest baby. This camera uploads a live feed to these goggles. It would be perfect for surveillance missions, right?”

“And I’m assuming it explodes?” Midoriya had gotten Monoma up to speed on the pink-haired genius’ tendency to make explosives even when not meaning to. It was sort of a warning for what’s to come given how Hatsume had expressed interest in the opportunities a copier would have for her babies.

Hatsume sent Monoma a withering glare before speaking “It does but this time it’s intentional. If one were to push the button on the left here, the camera would explode preventing villains from being able to track were the data had gone”.

“Hm. That would’ve been useful in the Heroes vs Villains exercise, today”. This statement caused Hatsume to beam at the power copier. The engineer was pleased, it seemed.

“Oh, yeah you have All Might’s class in the morning. What was it like?” Midoriya asked. This served two purposes. It would help him prepare for the next class but Monoma would also note anything strange in All Might’s habits.

“It was actually quite weird. All Might had business to take care of so he conducted the entire class through audio. There was even a screen with orange writing saying AUDIO ONLY. He also sounded really sick for some reason”.

“Huh, you don’t say.” That was likely because of All Might’s time limit. With only three hours in a day where he can use his muscle form and having to teach two two hour classes, All Might likely chose to cut Class B so that he could actually monitor his successor. Of course he didn’t have to tell Kurogiri any of that.

“What about the exercise itself?”

“Well, we were divided into pairs and split into groups. Each group consisted of two pairs who were either heroes or villains. The objective was to either secure or protect the bomb respectively”.

“Ah so you wanted my baby so that you could have eyes on the bomb at all times because you were a villain, right?” Hatsume gleamed.

Monoma sighed and slumped in his seat “Yep. Because of course the power copier gets the role of villain”.

“I mean at least you weren’t a supporting character” Midoriya said with mirth. “Who won anyway?”

“Setsuna Tokage and her team mate who didn’t really do anything. Her Quirk allows her to split her body up into 10 different pieces” Monoma said with pride. Despite losing, he was almost glad that he had such a powerful person in his class.

“Seriously? But in order for that to be useful she would have to possess an ability to live without her organs, flight and a healing factor in case one of her body parts gets damaged” Midoriya said with wonder, his morose temperament temporarily forgotten.

“I figured you’d like that. You seemed pretty down so I thought learning about a powerful Quirk would cheer you up”.

Midoriya was stunned silent. It may seem like a small deal but it was far more than anyone else had done during elementary and middle school. Midoriya merely uttered a “Thank you” before the topic moved onto discussing the Quirks of the Heroics department.

* * *

Midoriya found himself fidgeting in his seat as he waited for class to start. Oddly enough he was less worried about Kurogiri’s mission now that he had something he could give to Kurogiri. All he needed to do today was observe. 

However, the fact that today’s lesson would likely be combat training did put him at a disadvantage. Stone Cutter while useful was also immensely predictable and had a usage limit. As for One For All, he had no idea how to even activate it. The one time he’d done was completely by accident. He just hoped for the best and it worked.

There were a lot of students who had a much better handle on their Quirks allowing for better variety in their skill sets. Midoriya could only hope that he was put up against the students who only had one use for their Quirk like the kid with the navel laser or the one with electrification.

“I AM COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE NORMAL!”

And with All Might’s arrival, the class broke out into murmurs. Even Kacchan seemed interested. With everyone’s attention on All Might, everyone missed the sudden flinch and fidgeting that Midoriya and Hagakure gave off. Well almost. They were unaware that there was a certain heterochromatic boy with red and white hair watching them.

But before too long, All Might announced that it was time for combat training and everyone got dressed into their hero costumes.

* * *

One of the benefits of having a brilliant engineer as a best friend is that she can make a lot of cool stuff for you. Apparently, Izuku’s mother had wanted to make him his Hero Costume and had enlisted Mei to help her.

The result was a green and black hood with sleek, long pants. They were apparently made out of fiber lined with Kevlar and some other material, making it resistant to damage, somewhat fireproof and was well insulated against electricity. On his head were the goggles from earlier. He had grabbed them under the guise of aiding Mei while also thinking they would be handy. Ideally he would have a mask in place with a sort of in-built computer allowing him to make full use of his analysis capabilities. However, Hatsume did end up building it so no points for guessing what happened to it.

“That’s your super hero costume?” Hagakure asked.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing. I just expected something I dunno, flashier than simple clothing” Hagakure waved her hands around.

“It’s practical” Midoriya then took notice of Hagakure’s own costume and heat rose to his face. “Besides, what is up with your hero outfit?!” he yelled while blushing madly.

Hagakure’s “costume” was a simple pair of blue gloves and shoes. Apart from those, she was completely naked and Midoriya wasn’t sure what to think. The only reason she could get away with it was because she was invisible. Midoriya quickly took a picture to send to Hatsume.

“S-s-shut up! It’s the best thing to make full use of my invisibility. Anything more and my invisibility would be useless”.

“Um, actually. There is a way you could get a costume that turns invisible with you” Both of the teens turned around to see that Tennyson was watching them with a tablet in his hands.

“Tennyson! I didn’t know you were teaching us today.” Midoriya said happily though he quickly changed expression to something scrutinous “By the way, you wouldn’t happen to have an alien that can counter teleporters would you?

“Ah, not really.” he said with a confused expression before speaking again “Nezu wants me to help out All Might with his classes, this week”.

“OK, but what did you mean by a costume that could turn invisible with me?”

“One of the third years has a similar problem. He becomes intangible to anything and everything, including clothing. His costume is made out of his hairs or something so that it phases with him. Something similar should work for you”

Both the vigilante and Midoriya were not prepared for what came next as Hagakure’s mood did a complete 180. All embarrassment and enthusiasm was replaced by a completely deadpan tone. 

“Are you kidding me? There’s already been a costume made for this and the people behind mine just thought ‘Eh, it doesn’t matter’. I mean it’s not like actual armor could be useful for Pro Heroes. Let’s just let her be naked. It’ll turn out alright.”

Midoriya’s phone bleeped. “Well if it’s any consolation. Hatsume has the same complaints and is perfectly willing to make you a new one”.

“YOU SHOWED IT TO HATSUME!?” 

In hindsight, that wasn’t his best move. Everyone had started looking at them as Midoriya uttered apologies while Hagakure went off at him. Thankfully All Might saved the day by regaining control of the class.

“Uh, yes. Well anyways it’s time for combat training!”

“Sir! This looks like the same field used for the Entrance Exam. Will we be performing cityscape maneuvers once again!” Iida asked.

“Nope. This time, we’ll be doing indoor, anti-personnel battle training! For you see, while the villain battles you are more likely to see are outdoors, the most dangerous ones will be indoors. That is statistically speaking. I’m sure even our resident vigilante can attest to that”

“I guess? Most of my fights happen in wide open spaces but if you consider the fact that there’s a roof over them, then sure. One time there was a whole battlefield but it just turned out to be a spaceship”. Midoriya actually wanted to know more about this battlefield spaceship but the vigilante was interrupted by Iida.

“That leads me to my next question; why is the vigilante here?”

“Yeah, well why are you wearing a mask? It’s not like you have anything to hide” Ben said alluding to earlier that day.

* * *

Ben was simply going about his day. Thanks to Jury Rigg, he actually had eyes everywhere in the school and thanks to that, he could monitor the school all at once. Which was great because apparently Nezu wanted him to help All Might’s classes today.

“Hmph. What a disgrace to this fine institution” a haughty voice said.

Ben looked up to see a surprisingly tall kid with glasses on and engines coming out of his legs standing before him. He was in Midoriya and Bakugou’s class if he wasn’t mistaken.

His eyes narrowed “Excuse me?”

The boy merely glared at him “The fact that a vigilante such as yourself is on school grounds. Honestly, why on Earth would the principal think you could help?”

“Oh, really? What’s your Quirk because I guarantee that I have a lot of things to teach you”.

“My Quirk is Engine. Whether or not you are superior to me, doesn’t change the fact that you have no problems with breaking the law and I highly doubt there’s anything you could teach me”.

“Engine. So I’m guessing you’re fast? How about a little race then? I promise that if you win, I’ll leave this “prestigious school” and never return”

“If that’s what it takes to remove the stain you’ve placed on U.A. then so be it.”

“Great, first one to touch your class wins”. Iida looked unsure. “Getting cold feet?”

“If that was our goal, then I would have to run in the halls and unlike you I refuse to go against U.A.’s guidelines”.

Ben rolled his eyes. “Fine. First one to touch the school entrance just over there wins. But we have to be touching this wall when we start”.

Iida thought for a moment before saying “I find those terms acceptable. Now prepare to leave this school.”

The two crouched down with their feet touching the wall. Ben used his Omnitrix to turn into Clockwork.

“And GO!”

Iida activated his Quirk and had nearly reached the entrance. Nearly being the operative word. He had nearly touched the gate when he was engulfed by a green beam. Ben turned back into his base form and calmly made his way to the gate. Touching it and winning the race, Ben decided to take advantage of his frozen opponent and pulled out a black marker that may or may not be permanent. 

“Hopefully this didn’t cause too much damage to the continuum”.

* * *

“I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HIDE!”

“Prove it then.”

“I will not!”

All Might cleared his throat “Yes, well Mr. Tennyson is here to assist me in teaching this class. This is my first day teaching and he was the only one available”.

“I see.”

“Now then, you will be split into hero and villain teams and face off in two v two indoor battles! While it is true you have experience fighting robots, you will find that villains are a lot less predictable”.

And like that All Might was bombarded with the class’ questions; among them were how to determine victory, how the teams would be decided and if he was planning to expel them. 

“Listen up! The villains are hiding a nuclear weapon in their hideout and the heroes have to go take care of it. The heroes have a limited amount of time to either capture the villains or secure the bomb, while the villains must either capture the heroes or protect the bomb til time runs out. The teams will be decided by drawing lots”.

“Is that really the best way to determine our partners?” Iida asked in that condescending tone of his.

“It actually makes sense. Pro heroes have to work with other heroes on the spot in times of crisis” Midoriya said.

“What a ridiculous notion. My brother personally has never had to team up with others-”

“Actually, young Midoriya is right. Young Iida, your brother may be able to avoid most of these team-ups because of the massive number of sidekicks in his agency but unfortunately most Pro Heroes do not have the luxury of having as many sidekicks as he can. They are an expense that the agency must pay you see”.

“I see. My apologies”.

“‘Massive number of sidekicks’? And that armor! Your brother wouldn’t happen to be Ingenium would he?”

For a moment Iida’s haughty attitude dispersed and revealed another side to the strict hero student. Though no one could see it his scowl turned into a smile and his eyes now had warmth to them. It seemed he was really proud of his older brother. 

“Why yes! I am glad that someone such as yourself knows about him!” 

He said with glee. Midoriya decided to ignore the jab at him and decided to go for the throat. “Didn’t he do a bunch of jobs with a vigilante? The, what’s-his-name, the Cruller, that’s it!”

Iida flushed with embarrassment “Yes, but he had no other choice. There wasn’t enough time to call in his sidekicks”.

“So what you’re saying is... in a time of crisis, your brother had to team up with someone undesirable?”

Iida’s face was fully red now as he looked down at the ground “I see your point. Yes it seems, that even without sidekicks we as heroes must be prepared to co-operate with anyone. I apologise for my rudeness”.

“Yes, well let’s just get to it now!” All Might yelled, trying to retake control of the class. Tennyson for his part was smirking at his floundering attempts and was talking on the phone. 

“Tennyson, I was under the assumption that you were meant to be helping me. Get off the phone” he said, while the class found their groups. 

Tennyson rolled his eyes and said “K. Bye Power Loader”.

What did he need Power Loader for? Perhaps he needed something done to his Omnitrix?

“I was discussing changes to Hagakure’s costume”.

All Might gave him a sad look and said “It is a shame that she needs to be naked and exposed to the elements but unfortunately there is no other way”

Tennyson looked at him with an incredulous look, almost as if he couldn’t believe that All Might had just said something so dumb. 

All Might continued “What’s the point of giving her armor if she’s just going to remove it anyway?”

“She won’t. Power Loader’s going to see if he can make a costume out of material that either is invisible or can turn invisible. Though apparently some girl named Hatsume’s taken over the project”.

“I see”. To think support could make things like invisible costumes now. Though if they could, why didn’t they do so for Hagakure? Hm. Well no use complaining about it now. All Might saw that the class had finally gotten into their assigned pairs.

* * *

Midoriya, to put it bluntly, was doomed. His opponents were Kacchan and Iida and without One For All, he couldn’t exactly do much. His team was also going first, meaning he had little time to strategize. To top it all off, he was a villain! At least his partner was amicable.

“Hey, so how’d you know about my Quirk?” Kaminari asked.

Was this kid for real? Apparently so. “We met in the Entrance Exam” Midoriya said simply.

“Oh. Then you already know about the downside to my Quirk” Kaminari’s face flushed.

“Downside?”

“You don’t know?! Great now I’ve got to explain it” he mumbled. “If I use my Quirk too much I short-circuit my brain and I’m practically useless in that state”

“So that’s why you didn’t help me with Monoma. You couldn’t”

“Huh?” Midoriya then explained the full ordeal of the Zero Pointer as he set up Hatsume’s camera. 

“That really happened?! Um, well thanks for saving my life but what are we going to do against the heroes”.

“Well neither of us can guard the bomb. If I used Stone Cutter, the structural integrity of the building could weaken and debris could land on the bomb detonating it. Because you lack control of your Quirk, you could detonate the bomb just by using it”.

“I mean it’s just a test”

“A test that is meant to simulate this same situation in real life. We cannot take advantage of the fact that this is a test”.

“OK. Then what do we do?”

“Well, we’re meant to act like villains right? So let’s act like villains” Midoriya said with a smirk.

* * *

Bakugou saw this as his perfect opportunity. He’d made a fool out of himself yesterday with that shitty panic attack but now he could truly show how powerful he was. Glasses kept trying to suggest points of entry but that was stupid. 

“Shut up! We’re going through the front entrance, ya hear me?! We’re going to win this by absolutely crushing our foes. You can just provide backup to my victory” Bakugou snarled. 

Glasses kept trying to talk to him but he ignored it, merely waiting for the timer to run out.

“START!” 

Bakugou smirked and blasted off into entrance, only to find himself tackled by two masses. 

“Now Kaminari!” he heard Deku’s voice call out and not a moment later, volts of electricity ran through his body. Bakugou let out a feral scream.

Deku tried to tie capture tape around him but Bakugou recovered. He quickly blasted Deku with an explosion, sending the nerd into the wall. 

Unfortunately it didn’t deter the nerd one bit. Didn’t he just get shocked as well? Well no matter Katsuki was still going to win this. He pinned Deku’s partner to the ground.

“You’re gonna pay for that” he growled. His hands sparking as he prepared another explosion.

“STONE CUTTER!”

What? But before Bakugou even realised what Stone Cutter meant, a wave of vibrations was sent through the floor and Bakugou lost his footing. The electricity bastard quickly made use of the opening and grabbed him before letting out another bout of electricity.

“I’ll save you from these fiends, Bakugou!” Glasses said which prompted different reactions from the three. 

Bakugou of course was filled with indignation and yelled “I don’t need saving, you bastard!”. Pikachu merely let out a confused “what?”. And shitty Deku said nothing, only slamming his fist into the ground to send out another wave of vibrations. Fortunately Deku’s attack caused Glasses to lose his footing and rammed into the wall. Deku went outside with the capture tape.  
Good. Damn nerd deserves it for interfering in his victory.

“Bakugou, help!” Glasses called out but Bakugou ignored him. Instead he turned to Pikachu over here and decided to get some payback.

* * *

Today just wasn’t a good day for Iida. He’d tried to be an upstanding citizen and throw the vigilante out, only to mysteriously lose to him in a race. He then found that said vigilante had drawn on him. He’d been made a fool out of twice and was currently running into a wall.

He hit the wall with a loud CRACK! His armor that had been crafted specifically by his brother’s agency had broken. Iida was about to go on a tirade about how important this costume was to him but realized that doing so would be completely unprofessional. Villains wouldn’t care about his costume, and that was just the role Midoriya had been playing.

Speaking of whom, it seemed he had vastly underestimated the student. For all his mediocre scores yesterday and unprofessional behaviour, the boy possessed a powerful Quirk and had somehow gotten second! He was also falling into the role of villain quite seamlessly. 

“Why, there you are hero. I’m afraid I can’t let you ruin my plans just yet” an affable but cold voice pierced the air. Iida looked up to see Midoriya staring at him with a smirk on his face. His fists clenched as he crouched down onto the ground, sending forth another wave of vibrations. 

‘Not this time’ Iida thought as he ran around Midoriya. In such close proximity, Midoriya fortunately didn’t have much range. Unfortunately, the vibrations kept going forth with their angle widening until they damaged the entire width of a building. 

Iida’s best option would be to stay within moderate distance of Midoriya. His only problem would be that Midoriya’s Quirk worked through contact. Iida would have to make sure to keep his hits fast and small so as to prevent Midoriya from getting an opening. Luckily Iida’s whole family revolved around being quick. 

Iida ran towards Midoriya and delivered a quick jab to the face before running out of Midoriya’s reach. Midoriya clutched his face in pain and Iida took the opening to deliver another punch, this time to the gut. Midoriya let out a pained grunt and Iida continued to take advantage of the openings Midoriya gave him. With each hit, Midoriya took a step back.

Eventually Iida decided enough was enough. Iida prepared the capture tape and ran at Midoriya. However, Midoriya was prepared for this and ran at him. No matter, Iida was easily faster. The two charged at each other and Iida took the opportunity to lengthen the capture tape, preparing to arrest this foul villain.

Unfortunately he was not prepared for Midoriya leaping at him, obviously trying to use Stone Cutter on him. Iida evaded the attack and Midoriya hit the ground... and not just by falling on it. Midoriya did a semi-flip and sent out another wave of vibrations at him. Not prepared for the attack, Iida lost his footing. 

Midoriya quickly took advantage of the opening and tackled him, preventing him from getting up. Iida went to grab Midoriya off him but Midoriya punched his armor, only letting out a small “Stone Cutter” as he did so. Unlike the previous time he had yelled out the technique, this one was barely a whisper and had no fire to it. Almost as if he was saying it for himself, rather than because he wanted anyone to hear it.

Iida’s armor cracked under the vibrations placed upon his body and quickly fell to pieces. Iida quickly threw the green-haired villain off him and got a good look at his chest. The armor plating was completely destroyed and even part of his shirt was coming apart at the seams. Further down the armor, there were still a surprisingly large number of cracks.

Iida knew it was illogical, Midoriya was simply playing his part, but he was completely filled with rage. This armor was a gift from his brother and it had been thoroughly destroyed. 

“That’s it! You are under arrest villain! For the destruction of public areas and my armor as well as the illegal storage of a nuclear bomb. Surrender now or feel my wrath!”

Midoriya adopted a feral grin and giggled? “Surrender?! Oh come on hero! You’re armor’s destroyed and one more of those Stone Cutter attacks will kill you. You might as well just go home”.

“What?!”

“Tell you what. You surrender and I won’t detonate that bomb, killing millions. Isn’t that a good deal?”

“I’ll never agree to your vile deal!” Iida yelled as he sprinted at him.

“Tsk. Kaminari how’re you doing with Bakugou?!” Midoriya yelled as he evaded a kick from Iida. What ensued was Midoriya trying to evade Iida’s attacks as he listened to his partner.

“OK, that’s not exactly good. Just hold on! I’ve got a plan”

* * *

Bakugou wasn’t exactly sure what was going on but this electricity bastard was putting up a surprisingly good fight. No matter how many times he tried to outmaneuver the bastard, he would somehow be blocked. Everytime he got close to the guy, he was shocked through a metal pipe that Pikachu had found on the ground. 

“Tsk. I wanted to save this for Deku but you’ve proven far more of a nuisance Pikachu. Do you want to know what these gauntlets do?”

“Not really” Pikachu said, while looking incredibly pathetic. The dumbass looked close to tears. Disgusting.

“I’ll tell you anyway. See, my Quirk allows me to sweat nitroglycerin and my Gauntlets store that sweat to create a truly special explosion”.

“Nitro-what?”

“Hm. I guess you’ll just see” Bakugou said with glee as he grabbed the trigger of his gauntlets.

Suddenly the bastard seemed to get a message from Deku “Not well Midoriya. I’m barely holding him off and he keeps shooting explosions. Bakugou’s stored up some nitro-gl-ric thingy in his gauntlets and is about to shoot. Plan?”

Deku then took that opportunity to yell out something that made his blood boil. 

“Hey Katsuki! Are you so spineless you need your partner to finish off your formerly Quirkless friend?!” Deku yelled in a somewhat familiar tone.

“What the actual fuck did you just say to me Deku?!” Pikachu was promptly forgotten as he headed outside to confront Deku. 

“Wow, I suspected your constant Quirk usage made you hard of hearing but it’s good to have confirmation Bakugou” Deku smirked.

“If you think you’re better than me just because Tennyson gave you a Quirk, you’ve got another thing coming!” 

“I mean you set the bar pretty low. Even Iida is better than you”.

Bakugou growled as he finally exited the building not even noticing Pikachu following him outside.

* * *

Midoriya sighed. Insulting Kacchan and calling him by his first name were the hardest things he had done in his life but it was necessary. He knew just how hard Kacchan’s explosions hurt and he was not willing to let Kaminari face the full brunt of them. 

“DEKU!”

Speak of the devil. Kacchan was his symbol of victory. He excelled in everything he did and stupid Midoriya just had to piss him off. He could practically smell the smoke from here.

“Ah Bakugou! How wonderful of you to join us. With your help, we’ll be able to defeat Midoriya in no time!” Iida waved to Bakugou.

Kacchan let out an earth-shattering yell and flew towards him. Midoriya braced himself for Kacchan’s attack... only it never came. 

“What are you doing? We’re on the same team!” Iida yelled. It seemed Kacchan had bypassed him entirely and decided that before killing his childhood friend, he needed to go after the one who was stealing his spotlight.

“What the hell did I miss?” Kaminari said as he came up to him.

“Oh just stuff. The bomb’s still secure, right?”

“Yeah, I managed to hold him off. Should we join the fight?”

“That’ll just shift their attention to us. Best case scenario, they take each other out though that’s unlikely. Kacchan’s definitely going to win but even now they’re weakening each other and even if they stop fighting right now, they likely won’t be in any condition for your most powerful electrification, all while time runs out”.

“Huh. So we just do nothing?”

“Or we could just leave? I mean we are villains and the heroes are fighting each other, allowing us to make a clean getaway” Midoriya said. His face taking on a mischievous grin, his eyes catching an object that Kaminari could use.

“I like it!” Kaminari said, grinning. And so while Bakugou was trying to take out his own partner, the villains made their way back to All Might.

* * *

“Well it looks like your protege beat mine” Tennyson said. The rest of the class were commenting about how young Bakugou had turned on his partner. Honestly, he wasn’t expecting having to pull up the footage from outside the building for an indoors training exercise but here he was.

All Might sighed “And just how exactly is that? Young Midoriya broke the most basic rule of this exercise; that it was meant to be **indoors**. On top of that it seems he’s left the ground entirely”.

“Yeah but he’s a villain. Villains aren’t exactly known for abiding the law. That’s why they’re villains and as a villain, he took the best opportunity for him. Even if Bakugou and Iida secure the bomb, the villains have gotten away to ruin someone else’s lives another day”.

“But young Bakugou has dealt the most damage...”

“... to his own partner, instigating a fight which allowed the villains to get away. Now the only way to win is to secure the bomb, and even that is unlikely”.

All Might had to concede Tennyson’s point. While young Midoriya had failed to follow the rules, the entire point of this test was to simulate a conflict between heroes and villains. Unfortunately young Midoriya had drawn the short straw and made the best of it. 

That being said, there was something off about his performance. Midoriya slipped into the role of villain far too easily as if it was a second skin. It was almost as if Midoriya had experience with a true villain before.

But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that it all felt so familiar. From young Midoriya’s actions to the tone of his voice. Even his expression seemed to be familiar to... his master’s killer. He needed to handle this situation with the utmost care, if only to prevent young Midoriya from becoming a villain for real.

“Midoriya, what are you doing here?” young Hagakure asked. True to her words, young Midoriya and Kaminari had just come through the door. 

The entire class turned to them and bombarded them with questions, mainly pertaining to why or what he was doing in this room instead of the battlefield. 

All Might cleared his throat “Enough! Young Midoriya, I’m afraid I’m going to have to disqualify you for leaving the simulation early. Your actions have allowed the heroes to secure the bomb”.

Midoriya raised an eyebrow as he pointed to a screen clearly showing that said heroes were preoccupied with fighting each other.

“Yes, well their discord aside you have left your base completely unattended and the bomb can easily be secured. Such tactics are not smart even for villains”.

“Oh but I have a plan for that”

“And just what plan is that?”

“It looks like we’ll get to see it in action” Tennyson said as he looked to the screen. Bakugou had finally defeated young Iida but was in pretty bad shape. He looked around clearly looking for his next opponent but found that he had been deserted.

“DEEEKKKUUUU!” pierced the air. Bakugou’s scream was so loud that it could be heard without the comms devices. However, he only had 2 minutes to get to the bomb and in the state he was in, that didn’t look likely.

Bakugou didn’t seem to care about likelihood though. Despite his obvious exhaustion, it seemed that he ran on pure rage as he desperately searched the building. He searched room after room to no avail until finally he found it with 10 seconds to spare. He leapt at it and with the last of his energy, his arm completely outstretched to touch it...

Then young Midoriya pushed a button on his goggles causing an explosion that engulfed the room and was about to send Bakugou flying away from it.

“NOO!”/”Kacchan!” All Might and his successor yelled.

Despite knowing that he should be using One For All as little as possible, All Might quickly found himself over by the building and shielding young Bakugou from the explosion. After it was over, he brought the boy back to base.

“I-I didn’t know it would be that powerful” Midoriya said. All Might turned to him, absolutely furious at his student only to be greeted by the boy already in tears. 

“Young Midoriya, what you did was completely irresponsible and dare I say even villainous” All Might sternly said. His student looked down at the ground.

“Isn’t that the point?” Tennyson said.

“What-”

“Hold on.” the vigilante said as he pushed the Omnitrix. The vigilante then turned into a more feminine alien and started emitting blue energy from their hands healing the two hero students of their injuries and revitalising him.

Within minutes, the two had fully recovered. Bakugou’s eyes snapped open as he yelled “DEKU!” 

“Would you quiet down?” Iida said with narrowed eyes.

“Shut it, you extra! You made us lose”

“Me?!” Iida yelled incredulously “You are the one who attacked his own teammate instead of the villains. If anyone is to blame here, it’s you!”

Bakugou prepared to yell at his teammate some more but was interrupted by young Yaoyorozu saying “He’s right”.

“What?”

“Your team would’ve won if you could’ve just kept your ego in check. From the looks of things, Midoriya was able to manipulate you into attacking your own teammate and in the midst of that, his team was able to comfortably make it back here leaving the bomb completely unprotected”.

“Shut it, ponytail. In case you weren’t paying attention there was an actual bomb!”

“Iida could’ve comfortably removed the real bomb while you secured the villain’s bomb. Unfortunately you decided to pick a fight with him and when that was over, you had two minutes to find it while in a poor state, yourself”.

“Should we do something? It looks like we’ve lost control of the class” Tennyson asked him.

All Might decided to take that as his cue to intervene “Ah, yes. You’re certainly right young Yaoyorozu but we can not forget that Midoriya went against the rules and planted an actual explosive to the training bomb. If he didn’t young Bakugou still would’ve been able to secure it. Now can anyone tell me who the MVP is?”

Yaoyorozu spoke up again “That would be either Iida or Midoriya, sir. Midoriya fell into the role of villain effortlessly and it was thanks to his manipulation and constant rule-breaking that his team won. If this were a real scenario, the villains would’ve gotten away and may have succeeded in killing millions of people. Likewise Iida fell into the role of hero graciously and his adaptability and general fighting style allowed him to keep Midoriya busy. Unfortunately he failed to account for his partner deciding to attack him for some arbitrary reason. Kaminari was content to let Midoriya call the shots though he still put up an admirable fight against Bakugou. Speaking of... Bakugou constantly made blunder after blunder. He didn’t bother to capture Kaminari before going outside to confront Midoriya and while confronting Midoriya may’ve been a good way to prevent his partner from getting injured, he failed to make good on it opting to defeat his own teammate, which would lead to the heroes’ downfall”. 

“Ah yes. Though I would say Midoriya got a bit too involved in the role but that’s it. Let’s get onto the next match. Also because of Midoriya’s little stunt, any team that takes the fight outside or attaches a bomb to the training bomb will be disqualified immediately” All Might said as he shot Midoriya a glare.

As this was going on Bakugou was looking at the ground, deep in thought.

“Kacchan?”

“What?!”

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry for blowing you up. I didn’t realise the blast would be that powerful”.

Bakugou glared at him “Just forget it, you damn nerd” he huffed as Deku watched the next fight play out. 

Perhaps, he would’ve gotten angry at Deku in another life for defeating him in such a humiliating fashion but right now? He was reflecting on the events of the trial and how he was defeated. It was true that he let his ego get in the way but that wasn’t all. 

Looking back, he couldn’t help but feel the same dread that Hisashi instilled in him when Deku was goading him and especially when he was about to get blown up by a bomb. 

‘Just what is your deal Deku? And where’d you get that Quirk’ he thought as he looked at the fights.

* * *

The rest of the fights played out with no special tricks. Some like young Todoroki and Yaoyorozu showed off their great potential while others, like Hagakure and Ojiro, were unable to. Midoriya’s villain exercise aside, All Might would have to conclude that this was a pretty good first day as teacher.

“Alright, that’s it for today” All Might quickly dismissed the class as he felt his grip on his muscle form fading. He needed to get out of sight as soon as possible. He prepared to rush off when he was stopped.

“Um, All Might?” his successor called to him. Young Hagakure was right next to him.

Against his better judgement, he decided to turn to Midoriya. Steam was practically coming off his body as he did so. Hm, he did need to talk to Midoriya anyway.

“Ah, Midoriya. I think you and I need to have a little chat” he grabbed Midoriya and raced off with him. He barely got to the teacher’s lounge before his form shifted back into it’s natural state. 

“I think Hagakure might notice something is off about you” his successor snarked.

“The media has suspected something is “off” about me since my debut. As long as she doesn’t know my actual secret, it should be fine. Now...” Midoriya flinched and looked down. All Might frowned.

“I know you wanted to win but your actions today were not those of a hero. I honestly don’t understand why you thought it would be a good idea to strap an explosive to the bomb. You failed to even get the point of the exercise, which was to simulate an indoor fight. I chose you as my successor because you had an innate instinct for heroism yet I saw none of that today”.

Tears streamed down Midoriya’s face. When he looked up, regret was etched into his face and he merely uttered a simple “I understand”.

In a weird way, All Might was proud of his student. He wasn’t making excuses for what he did and he seemed to genuinely regret his actions. Midoriya got up to leave but All Might spoke out to him.

“One more thing. Kid, why the hell aren’t you using my Quirk? I gave you it so you could succeed me yet you seem content with just using that Stone Cutter technique of yours”.

“It just seems like the safer option” Midoriya’s demeanor completely changed. The once open and regretful Midoriya had been replaced by the cold and calculating persona that he saw in the combat trial.

“My boy, what do you mean?”

“I’m thankful for your Quirk All Might. Truly, it’s a huge honor to be picked out by you to succeed you but...”

“But?”

“With all due respect, your Quirk kinda sucks” he said sending a worried glance at All Might. 

“It breaks my bones whenever I use it, and even with all your teaching I still have no idea how to activate it”.

“Hm. I don’t understand what’s wrong, I took to it like a fish took to water” All Might frowned.

“Yes Tennyson, I do believe you may have a point. This could likely be the Singularity at play here” a chipper voice spoke.

Both All Might and his successor looked to a couple of chairs on the other side of the room, showing that Nezu and Tennyson were watching them... while drinking tea, it seemed.

_SIIIIIP_

Tennyson was looking directly at the two as he drank from his teacup.

“Tea?” Nezu offered.

“Ah, Principal, All Might was just scolding me for my disastrous performance in combat training today!” Midoriya tried to quickly cover their meeting up as he waved his hands around.

“He knows, kid. Principal, if One For All truly has reached the point of singularity, does that mean it’s useless?”

Nezu merely stared at him with a smile on his face “Perhaps”.

“Then what are we gonna do when I die as the Symbol of Peace. We need to get a replacement, soon right?”

“What if you tried talking to it?” Tennyson said as All Might could only stare incredulously.

“What?”

“Ahem. Tennyson rather amusingly believes that because the Quirk has reached Singularity status, it is now fully sentient and can interact with it’s user. Of course such a thing is ridiculous” the principal said to Tennyson’s dismay.

“Back to the subject at hand, it is possible that One For All is unusable in it’s current state but it is possibly more likely that you are just an unfit teacher”.

“Huh?” All Might said while Tennyson wore a shit-eating grin. He passed Nezu a school tablet, which probably wasn’t good. Soon enough, Nezu activated a video player and lo and behold, it was showing him training young Midoriya. Midoriya constantly floundered even after his instructions. Seeing Midoriya’s failures laid out before him, perhaps Nighteye was right.

But Nezu interrupted his thoughts “From the looks of things, your training is just to get Midoriya to ‘try harder’ to control it. However, as someone who wasn’t in possession of a Quirk until the Entrance Exam, it’s understandable to see why he fails to adapt to it. And as you cannot see that, I think it might be best if someone else broke him into it. Perhaps Gran Torino?”

All Might snapped to attention. Nezu was thinking of handing Midoriya over to that man?! No he wouldn’t allow it. He outright told Nezu as such.

“Who’s Gran Torino?” Midoriya asked.

“No one you have to think about, young Midoriya”

“That’s what you said about All For One”

“Because All For One is none of your concern!”

“My goodness. You haven’t told your successor about your most dangerous enemy? For shame”.

“Young Midoriya. Please leave”

“No! Not until you stop keeping secrets from me! I’m your successor and clearly these two are important”.

“Just leave this room. Go home! You are on a need-to-know basis and you don’t need to know who Gran Torino and especially All For One is”.

“While I disagree with All Might’s methods, I do think it’s best if you left Midoriya. As for the training incident? I want you to see me in my office at lunch tomorrow” Nezu said with a stern tone.

Midoriya gulped and left the room but not before glaring at All Might one last time. 

Once he was out of earshot All Might returned to the conversation “You will not hand young Midoriya to that man. He’d get destroyed. I know because Gran Torino did the same to me”

“Can I get a video of that?” Tennyson asked.

Nezu decided to ignore him “Yes, and you turned out to be the Symbol of Peace. Just think of how great he could make Midoriya if we handed him over to him”.

“No! Only villains would believe handing a child over to someone who will definitely beat him for their future is the right thing to do. Just give me a little time and Midoriya will be able to start using One For All more effectively”.

“Oh, All Might. You know I don’t believe in your black and white mentality. Human beings are far too complex to be cleanly divided into hero and villain” Nezu gave him a smug smirk “And it seems that Midoriya is starting to develop trust issues”.

All Might looked down at the ground. He knew there was tension between him and his successor but he thought they would eventually work things out. Unfortunately things seemed to only get worse. Perhaps not on a daily basis but the cracks in their relationship were starting to get larger.

“I don’t understand why. I’m the Symbol of Peace and he’s the world’s biggest hero fanboy. Our relationship should be better than this”.

“Really? I would’ve thought that constantly keeping secrets and making him do all the work in the relationship would be a surefire way to build trust” Tennyson snarked.

All Might glared at the vigilante, anger pulsing off his body. “Oh really? Like you’re one to talk. Your protegee attacked his own teammate!”

“Yeah, that’s terrible but that’s not an indication of our relationship. I mean, it is an indication that Kr’lk isn’t doing her job but that’s not the point. Bakugou trusts me because I act in his best interest. Can you say the same?

All Might’s eyes narrowed “I am acting in young Midoriya’s best interests!”

“No you aren’t. When Bakugou asks me for something I at least give him something resembling an answer instead of repeatedly dismissing him. I’m at least somewhat open with him about my intentions. Despite the fact that an actual time traveller said All For One’s going to be important, you decide that it isn’t and dismiss Midoriya’s concerns”

“All For One is dead!” All Might shifted into his muscle form and broke the table before them. Nezu gave him a cold glare, remarking that the table cost 83,000 yen. However, All Might’s full attention was on the green-clad vigilante before him who had activated his Omnitrix.

“Cool. Then you should have had no problems telling Midoriya about it instead of freaking him out. I mean did you even consider how he felt about this very important figure that a time traveller told him about and the only person with more information decides it isn’t worth it? Because it’s not like his actual fears and concerns are worth anything. Seriously you’re not even the one who thought it would be best to get him therapy. I was the one to do that and I barely interact with him. Face it you didn’t care about Midoriya. You just wanted a successor and when he wanted to know something, anything about a topic you were too much of a coward to cover you dismissed him”.

All Might growled. He wasn’t even aware that young Midoriya was taking therapy. It was true that he didn’t want to talk about his master’s killer. It wasn’t important and the whole subject made him uncomfortable. He had to change the subject somehow “But I gave him something worth so much more!”

“What, your Quirk? Then you really don’t know anything about your successor, do you? Rook already gave him a power and doesn’t expect him to uphold some big responsibility, like becoming the Symbol of Peace. And because of that Midoriya is more interested in geeking out over Revonnah Kai then One For All”.

“That’s preposterous! Young Midoriya’s greatest interest is analyzing Quirks. So much so that he has 13 notebooks on the topic and One For All is one of the most mysterious”.

“You do have a point, All Might but unfortunately Midoriya has other venues to cover. His Stone Cutter technique draws on from a power within, despite his Quirkless status. It’s such a unique power in the sense that anyone could learn how to use it. His friend Toru Hagakure’s Quirk is a mutation-based Invisibility Quirk yet she acts as if she can see. Her senses have been heightened to a point which should be impossible for her. Mei Hatsume’s inventions and Neito Monoma’s Copy allow for all sorts of avenues that pose less of a risk to him than One For All”.

“Yeah, I mean sure the passing down thing is pretty cool but it constantly breaks his limbs and you’ve done a crap job at teaching him how to use it. The novelty’s kinda worn off”.

“Indeed. So if Midoriya doesn’t make progress by next week, I’ll be bringing in someone who can help him”.

All Might slumped in his seat. Had he really been such a terrible teacher to young Midoriya? Tennyson and Nezu did have a point. The topic of All For One did make him uncomfortable and he shouldn’t have to go into detail... but Midoriya did deserve some answers rather than the same dismissals over and over again. Had his actions really driven his successor away? He needed to fix this. 

“I understand” was all he said before leaving.

* * *

“I’m not due for another meeting until next week, Tennyson!” Bakugou growled. The only reason he was walking with the vigilante is because it was either that or having the vigilante actually carry him to therapy.

“True. But your recent performance today says you definitely need one before then”.

“Agh. Let’s just get this over with” Tennyson opened the door as the two walked in.

“Tennyson...” Bakugou growled

“Kr’lk, looks like your client hasn’t really been showing progress at all”

“Tennyson, what the hell are you doing?!”

Ben opened his eyes to see that Kr’lk was currently in a session with Molly. Oh, that’s why they have appointments.

“Oops”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the chapter title was originally going to be called the generic "Heroes vs Villains" or something like that but I realized "Humiliation" was _much_ better considering how much it happens to the characters in this chapter. From small stuff like Ben drawing on Iida's face and Hagakure's nakedness being brought to light to larger stuff like Bakugou failing his own exercise and All Might's shitty teaching coming to light. Naturally most of these acts are going to have an effect on the story going forwards. But enough about that, next chapter is going to be a bit of a breather; it's really just the final chapter to set up the USJ so bar's not that high.
> 
> As always comments and criticism are appreciated.


	19. Calm Before The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. Things have been pretty crazy with university lately so I haven't been able to get much done. Even with study break, my work load is pretty busy. Also I watched Invader Zim: Enter The Florpus and it's pretty much everything I wanted from it. I highly recommend it if you liked watching Invader Zim as a kid. I mean it's slightly lighter in tone but the comics have been doing that for years now. Maybe I should have Ben unlock an Irken form? Although I doubt it would add anything besides a penchant for world domination but it's a fun idea.

Midoriya was doomed. Now that the events of the day had caught up to him, he’d had a chance to process what exactly had transpired. He’d blown up a bomb in class, severely injured Kacchan, gave a chilling performance as a villain and had a fight with the Symbol of Peace, himself!

To make things worse, he had to go to the principal’s office tomorrow. So basically, he’d ruined his reputation with his classmates, ruined his relationship with All Might and the Principal is probably going to kick him out of the school for being too villainous.

“Midoriya, I know you’re stressed but focus. Kurogiri’s going to open a portal soon and we need to tell him what we found out”.

“Right” and just as he said that a familiar black portal materialised in the room.

“What did you find out?” Kurogiri said, stiffly. It seemed he wanted to get straight to the point. 

“Well I found out where All Might’s office is. It’s right next to the cafeteria”

“Hm, do you have his schedule?”

“Ah, well no”

“And what about you Midoriya?”

“Well I didn’t find his schedule but for some reason he didn’t turn up to one of the classes he was meant to teach. A friend in the other hero class said that instead of him physically being there, he just took the class vocally. They even say that there was just a screen with the words AUDIO ONLY on it” Midoriya made sure to choose his words carefully. If he revealed Monoma’s name, Kurogiri could easily kidnap him.

The two hero students felt absolutely terrible. They had wanted to become heroes and despite being practically Quirkless, they made it into U.A. It was great for all of one day before they got roped into being the villains they were meant to fight.

However, what they were not expecting was Kurogiri to laugh. His mist turned into a pinkish colour before returning to normal “Apologies, but my employer will enjoy this. However, now that you know where All Might’s office is, I suggest you find his schedule”.

“We’ve done what you want! Why can’t you just leave us alone?!”

Kurogiri’s mist grew in size. His golden eyes pierced through them as he towered over the two. It truly helped them understand just how powerless the situation was. Even in a world of superpowers, Kurogiri was one of the most versatile and powerful people they could face. 

His body seemed to be completely gaseous, allowing for a means of intangibility while also allowing for size manipulation and then there was his main ability, the ability to generate portals. He could be anywhere in the world at any time and that just scratched the surface of what he could do. 

This one moment, right here and now, with Kurogiri doing nothing but glare at them was the best reminder that the two hero students had to be absolutely careful when dealing with him. 

“I expect All Might’s schedule by the end of the week” he simply said before teleporting away. 

“I really hate him” Hagakure said.

“How did you find out All Might’s office?”

“Oh, I asked him during combat training” and just like that the resentment buried itself deeper into Midoriya’s heart. Hagakure must have felt something to tip her off because she then asked if he was alright.

It was like a dam broke within him and for some reason he started pouring out his thoughts about, well everything really. The tension between him and All Might, how All Might still doesn’t trust him and how he’d probably ruined his chance at U.A. with the stunt he pulled during the training exercise.

“Oh, that’s rough” she said. “I guess All Might really isn’t on your side. Well screw him. Wait, is that seriously why you haven’t been using One For All? To spite All Might? Are you crazy?”

Midoriya flushed red “I mean that’s part of it but it’s also due to the fact that it breaks my limbs whenever I use it.” He didn’t bring up how it still refused to activate when he tried.

“But have you done anything to prevent that? Like I dunno, practice with it?” Midoriya said nothing.

“Damn it Midoriya! Do you know how many people would kill to have a Quirk like that?!”

“Hold on, I thought you hated me inheriting his Quirk?”

“No. I hated how you pretty much hadn’t worked at all towards becoming a Hero and you still aren’t”. 

“That’s not true! I have been working towards becoming a Hero. I’ve just spent most of my time on Stone Cutter” he mumbled that last part under his breath.

“And how long do you think that will last?”

Midoriya looked at her, with some expression Hagakure couldn’t quite picture. With a level tone he spoke “The ability to generate vibrations is useful and adequate enough on it’s own. I don’t see why I should invest time in a power that isn’t worth it”.

“Isn’t worth it?! Oh, Midoriya go fuck yourself. Sure Stone Cutter is a handy tool and sure it could pretty much substitute as a Quirk and sure your actual Quirk injures you but none of that is the issue here. The issue is that you just don’t care as much about your dream as you used to anymore”.

“I haven’t lost sight of anything. I still want to be a hero and I still want to use my powers to save others and defeat villains. I intended to do this, even without a Quirk so I don’t see the problem in not using one for the same outcome”.

“Because it’s not the same outcome! Not anymore, Midoriya. Do you want to know why I still became a Hero student? In spite of the fact that no one believed in me? In spite of the fact that the only one supporting me hated the industry? And in spite of the fact that my Quirk was pretty much useless for it?” 

“Because you were stubborn as all hell” 

Hagakure paused as if taking into consideration that a large part of the reason she was in U.A was because of her stubbornness but other than that ignored him and continued “Well, it’s because I want to minimise the damage”

Midoriya opened his mouth to speak but Hagakure wasn’t having it “I lost my dad because a Hero needed his spot and if I can at least do my part so that less people have to go through what I did then... that’s great” 

Tears welled up in her eyes but she didn’t care. Instead she turned to Midoriya and said “You’re right. Stone Cutter is useful enough on it’s own and if you didn’t have One For All, I wouldn’t think less of you for only using that technique... but that’s just it. You have All Might’s Quirk and the means to surpass him. By refusing to utilize it like a dumbass, you aren’t helping minimize the damage. Think of how many more people you could save if you just growed the fuck up and tried to learn how to use the damn Quirk. All Might saved 1,000 people in his debut. You have the means to do the same but won’t because you’re a stubborn asshole who’s more concerned about this little feud you have with All Might than people’s lives!”

Not bothering to wait for Midoriya’s excuses, Hagakure walked off to the guest room to get some sleep. She was done with this argument, despite the fact that she could definitely sense Midoriya looking down at the ground in shame.

* * *

“OK, what was so important that you felt the need to interrupt another Plumber’s session?” the blue skinned empatrian said. Her antennae twitched in annoyance as she laid down on the couch in her office.

“Well, Bakugo here decided it was perfectly acceptable to attack his own teammate in a training exercise”

Kr’lk rolled her eyes as if she honestly could not care less “Let me guess, he was teamed up with Izuku”.

“No, that’s the weird thing. Izuku was on the other team and yet he completely ignored him for the most part” Ben said causing Kr’lk to straighten up from her spot.

“Does it have anything to do with our conversation yesterday?” both occupants in the room looked at Bakugou for confirmation.

“I thought these sessions were meant to be private” Katsuki said in an attempt to evade the question.

“Oh they are, but you also know that me and him don’t care about the rules. Besides if this is about Hisashi, it’s probably for the best that he knows sooner rather than later” Kr’lk said pointedly.

“Wait what about Hisashi?” And as Kr’lk explained the story to Ben, Katsuki thought back to the events of the day. Did his outburst have anything to do with Hisashi? 

He thought back to the incident in the hallway, when Deku called out to him. How he had abandoned that shitty nickname just to provoke him and how easy it was for him to insult Katsuki. All in a very cold, familiar voice.

With a sigh he confirmed Kr’lk’s suspicions. Both the fact that he had viewed Deku as a threat and the trauma that Deku’s dad had dealt to him.

“OK but if that was the case, why did you decide to target Iida? I would’ve thought that you of all people would relish the chance at beating down Hisashi 2.0” Ben said.

“I... don’t know. At the time, I was trying to show how powerful I was and Glasses seemed to be stealing my thunder while I was stuck with shitty Pikachu. Tch and of course it all went according to shitty Deku’s plan”

“It’s possible that the trauma combined with Izuku’s provocations and the seeming confirmation that Izuku has in fact been looking down on you lead to an emotional outburst. All rational thought went out the window and you merely acted on instinct. Because you were so determined to show off how powerful you were, you did... against your teammate” Kr’lk noted. “However, perhaps on a subconscious level you were trying to avoid Izuku”.

“Ha?”

“According to you, at the time Izuku or at least his voice bore a striking resemblance to Hisashi. The one person who made you feel powerless without even trying and the similarities don’t stop there. Izuku and Hisashi are also the only two people to reject this reality that you cultivated for yourself. In a way, they don’t care what you think and at the time both were looking down on you as if you weren’t good enough”.

“So? What does that mean, doc?”

“Trauma can act as a sort of defense mechanism. It triggers in times where one thinks they are in danger. They are always on guard because of this survival instinct that has been built into them. Now if Izuku’s act triggered the same level of trauma that Hisashi left on you, you may have gone out of your way to avoid him. After all, Hisashi stole your Quirk and on a subconscious level you felt the same danger resided in Izuku”.

Bakugou said nothing to the therapist. Instead he turned to the vigilante looking around the room “What do you think?”

“Hm? Oh, I think I need to have a talk with Hisashi. Well I’ll leave you two to your session. Bye!” and just like that he walked off to who knows where.

* * *

It had been a while since Ben had last come here but it was just as cold as he remembered it. The bar was fine and comfy. He’d like to get a drink from there but apparently the savior of the whole, entire universe was too young to drink. Other planets weren’t so stingy, why did Earth suck so much?

He thought this as he passed through a portal. Still as barren and lifeless as ever. Granted that’s what a hospital is meant to look like but it still made him feel uncomfortable.

“Well, if it isn’t Ben Tennyson? What have I done to deserve the pleasure?” Hisashi said in that fake voice of his.

“Oh, y’know just checking in to see if any memories of the Quirk Integration Project have come back since my last visit. Y’know Plumber business”.

“Hm. I can’t say that they have. Though if you could find someone who could restore me or rewind my body to a previous state, that might prove quite helpful”.

“I’ll keep a look out” Ben said with narrowed eyes. “Anyway there have been some complaints from a couple of Hero students regarding you”

“Oh?”

“Yeah apparently a Katsuki Bakugou says you stole his Quirk and gave it back to him a while back”.

For just a moment, the facade dropped. The fake smile that Hisashi adorned was replaced by a furious frown.

“Ah, yes I remember that incident”.

“So you did take his Quirk!”

“Took his Quirk? No. Surely Tennyson you must realize that my Quirk is none other than fire-breathing. My file and wife can attest to that. I was referring to that pathetic little upstart. A while ago, he did something horrible. He burned my son to the point where you can still see some of the scars he left. In return I merely had a little chat with him though in hindsight I should’ve used the Incursean sensor rifle on the brat”.

“That would’ve killed him...”

“Oh, please Tennyson you can drop the hero act. Don’t act like you haven’t contemplated using the Omnitrix for your own gain. As if you’ve never had the urge to use it against bullies at school”.

Ben clenched his fists but said nothing “Right. Well your son asked me if I had any counters against teleporters. Kurogiri hasn’t been taking part in any illegal activity has he?”

Suddenly a deep voice struck through the air and a purple gaseous being teleported into the room “I can assure you that if I was taking part in any illegal activity I would be discreet enough so as to not alert a person related to space police. Midoriya is probably just curious about how many aliens you have”

“I must admit, I am curious to hear what answer you gave him”.

“I told him I didn’t”.

“But...”

“But, nothing. I don’t have a counter for teleporters”.

“Well that’s disappointing. Over a million different DNA samples and not one is good against teleporters?”

Ben opened his mouth to respond but his phone started to go off. It seemed Nezu wanted to talk to him. 

“I’ve got to go”.

“Oh please do come again. I am quite fascinated in your Omnitrix” Hisashi yelled out, only for Ben to turn into XLR8 and run out of the room.

With the vigilante gone, Hisashi turned to Kurogiri “I thought I told you to be subtle. Honestly, it’s a miracle my genius of a son hasn’t gone to the authorities already”.

“Apologies but after Shigaraki failed to give a convincing performance, I had to resort to more drastic measures”.

“Yes. I felt that portal you had created around my throat. You gave quite the convincing performance though I had hoped my son would be able to stay out of this. Unfortunately, it’s only a matter of time until the authorities piece things together. And once that idiot, pieces things together it is as Tomura would say game over”.

“Hm. So what do we do now?”

“I have an idea. A very risky idea but it’s the best we’ve got”

* * *

When Midoriya got up, he saw that Hagakure was already eating breakfast. Upon noticing him come in, he saw her clothes bump as if she flinched. 

“Hey” she said.

“Hey”.

The two sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, only broken by the sounds of chewing and his mother. The two continued like that until they were leaving for school. Well, no time like the present.

“I want to apologize. You were right. I’ve been holding back out of a petty grudge and as a result, I’ve slowed my progress”.

Hagakure made a humming sound as they continued walking.

“I mean it’s your power. You should be able to decide what to do with it but I’m glad you’re going to start using it”.

Midoriya decided to take the opportunity to change the topic “So, um what’s the plan for taking All Might’s schedule?” he whispered.

* * *

So apparently the plan was for him to try and get information out of the man who refused to share anything with him. Well, shit. 

“Ah. Young Midoriya, just who I was looking for!” a familiar voice called out. Midoriya rolled his eyes as All Might lead him into a room away from the sight of others.

It was weird. He never thought that his idol would get on his nerves this much though given his other idol regularly beat him, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Even weirder is that All Might hadn’t done anything wrong perse, certainly nothing worthy of his breakdown yesterday but the constant secrecy was annoying to say the least.

“I feel we need to clear something up about One For All. It’s been brought to my attention that perhaps the way I acclimated to it is not the same as the way you will take to it”.

Midoriya let out a huff of annoyance. ‘You don’t say?’ Midoriya thought to himself ‘Surely the fact it constantly breaks my bones was a sign that he was acclimating to it perfectly’. He didn’t voice these thoughts, of course. He was meant to be trying to mend his relationship with his mentor.

“Look I’m aware that I haven’t been entirely upfront about everything and you will get some answers but we need to start making some progress with One For All. Now” All Might said with an urgency that left no room for argument.

Midoriya was taken back “Wait, you haven’t cared they much before. Does this have to do with Gran Torino?”

All Might sighed. Well the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. “Yes. Gran Torino was my mentor. He made me into the man I am today but by way of breaking me every single training session and he’s gonna do the same to you if we don’t make some progress by the end of the week”.

Midoriya took the time to process this information. All Might had a teacher?! How the hell did he not know?! Oh and said teacher was probably going to break him to make progress but All Might had a teacher! 

All Might interrupted his musings “Look, you’re the Quirk expert so do you have any ideas in how to make it agree with you?”

“Well, it seems to function in a similar way to Revonnah Kai. Both use some kind of internal energy within the body to create external effects. Both enhance the body in some way and give power to those without it. Indeed both are also attained through training the body so there must be some physical component to it. However, One For All affects the user on a genetic level while Revonnah Kai is more spiritual in nature”. 

“How exactly do you activate Stone Cutter? If there are similarities between the two, perhaps they have a similar method of activation”

“Hm. Well, to be honest I’m not exactly sure”.

“What?!” All Might fell off the couch.

“I mean I just feel some kind of essence bubble up inside me. I’ve gotten a lot better at accessing this energy but I don’t really see how it would help me. They use two seperate energy sources”.

“I see” The two entered an uncomfortable silence after that. 

All Might frowned to himself. It was true that One For All and Stone Cutter were different but that wasn’t the problem here. There had to be some means of getting young Midoriya to easily access One For All in the first place but what? He needed to find a trigger of some kind. 

His mind flashbacked to the Entrance Exam and how young Midoriya accessed his Quirk to smash the Zero Pointer away.

“Young Midoriya. Think back to when you used One For All the last time, how you used it to save those two students. Think about how you got it to work”.

“Well, I didn’t think. Kaminari and Monoma just needed saving and I moved without thinking”.

All Might bit his lip. Great the one time he uses it and the kid has no idea how he did it. 

“OK, well think about what you were feeling back then. Call upon that heroic desire of yours and bring forth your power!” All Might exclaimed.

“Right!” Young Midoriya said with a determined gaze. Closing his eyes, Midoriya tried to recall what prompted him into calling upon One For All. The pained screeching of Monoma, the apprehension he felt when he saw Monoma’s broken arm, the feeling of helplessness as the Zero Pointer approached and the need to do something, anything to save them.

Midoriya thought back to his and Hagakure’s conversation the previous night. How Stone Cutter wasn’t enough in that scenario and his promise to do better. Midoriya focused on the presence he felt, clenched his buttcheeks and yelled “SMASH!”, expecting a broken arm but he felt nothing.

He opened his eyes... and saw that absolutely nothing had happened apart from his mentor wearing a confused expression.

Sighing, Midoriya said “Sorry All Might. I still can’t use it”.

“I don’t understand. You were able to summon it perfectly during the test. Are you sure there was nothing else other than the desire to save?”

“Well... I couldn’t use Stone Cutter at the time. I had completely depleted my ki reserves and so I was essentially acting out of desperation more than anything”.

“I see” All Might said before looking at the clock on the wall “Young Midoriya don’t you have class to get to?”

“Oh, right. Um All Might, before I go can you tell me your schedule?”

“Hm, why is that my boy?” 

‘Because I need to sell you out to villains to save my bedridden father’ Midoriya thought to himself.

“Well I just figured it might be useful if I ever needed to consult you about One For All. These kinds of things are better in person right?” Midoriya mumbled.

“Hm. Well ok then. I’ll send you a copy of where I should be later but this should suffice.” And just like that All Might took out his schedule for the week and showed it to Midoriya.

“What’s secret field trip?” Midoriya’s eyes narrowed, looking at the big red writing at the end of the week.

“Ah you weren’t supposed to see that! Young Midoriya, you are not to tell the rest of the students about what you saw” All Might gestured around frantically.

“OK, OK, I promise I won’t tell anyone” Midoriya said as he ran to his next class.

* * *

Aizawa honestly just wanted to go to sleep. Was it too much to ask for a normal class with no problem children? To be fair most of the class were normal enough but there were a few who just had to fuck it up. There always were.

“Alright, I’ve looked over your grades and evaluations as well as reviewed the battle footage myself. Most of you did good work. However...” his eyes turned red as he looked at the problem children for this year.

“Bakugou, I know I said I would give you a chance but one more stunt like that and you’re expelled. I don’t care what you’re therapist says”.

“She wha- mmph understood” he growled, seemingly backing down from the glare of his teacher. 

“Midoriya, while it is commendable that you easily slipped into the role of villain, you will learn to follow the rules and not blow up your classmates. Additionally, any support equipment you use has to be approved by both the Support department and myself. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-y-yes sir” he flinched.

Honestly there were more than just those two. Kaminari was too much of a follower for going along with Midoriya’s insane plan, Todoroki couldn’t work with others and in doing so had also prevented him from getting a good read on Hagakure and Ojiro. However, embarrassing the two students with the most impact would hopefully get the point across. He was not in the mood to tolerate bullshit.

“Now with that being said, onto normal class business. Today we’ll be picking a class president. I don’t care how you do it but just hurry it up”.

Aizawa slumped in his sleeping bag as the class was filled with noises of excitement and giddiness as everyone volunteered for the position. Honestly Aizawa didn’t even know why everyone was volunteering. Sure the job requires skills in leadership but it’s not such a game-breaking position that those who weren’t class rep would lose to those who were when applying for a job. A lot can happen in three years after all and Pros are more interested in accomplishments over representing a class.

“Quiet down everyone!” Iida’s voice filled the room and broke Aizawa out of his musings.

“Leading the many is a task of heavy responsibility but ambition does not equate to ability. If this is a democracy, I propose that the class representative must be chosen by election!”.

That was probably the most logical option. If the entire class wanted to be class rep, it would be troublesome finding the one to fill the role. It was likely that at least one person didn’t want the job and thus whoever they voted for would become class rep.

The class didn’t seem to agree “We haven’t known each other long enough to build trust”. Exactly so the choice will be unbiased.

“Everyone will just vote for themselves”. Unlikely but if that was the case, the problem could easily be resolved by forbidding people to vote for themselves.

Iida seemed to have a similar mindset “Which is why the person with multiple votes will be perfect for the job”. Aizawa didn’t feel like calling Iida out on his faulty logic. It was just class rep after all.

“Will you allow this Mr. Aizawa?!”

“Whatever. Just make it quick”.

And so the class voted on pieces of paper. They were quickly tallied up and to the surprise of most everyone the class villain had 2 votes, tying him with Yaoyorozu.

Bakugou yelled out about who the hell voted for “Deku”, Iida was slumped in his seat, having only received 1 vote which he himself likely gave and the rest of the class were yelling about a tie. 

“Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, I trust you’ll sort this out by the end of the day”.

“Yes!”

* * *

“Midoriya if I could have a moment?” Yaoyorozu asked him as he was going to lunch.

Midoriya turned around from the Class 1-B person he was conversing with.  
“I take it this is about the class president thing?”

“Yes. No offense but I just think I might be a bit more suited to the role. I have a vast knowledge of organisation and while you have shown leadership in the Heroes vs Villains trial, the way you went about it makes me doubt your abilities” she tried to say earnestly.

“Oh wow, so the Class 1-A person is looking down on those with true capabilities! What a surprise” the blonde boy next to Midoriya yelled out.

“Monoma, what is up with you recently?” The blonde boy opened his mouth as if to say something before closing it again.

Midoriya turned to her and simply said “Yeah, you’re probably right. You likely had training from your family’s estate for these kinds of positions, right? I honestly don’t know how I got two votes”.

“Did you not vote for yourself?” 

“No. I voted for Hagakure”

Yaoyorozu wasn’t quite sure what she was expecting. In class the boy seemed to go between timidness and determination. During the practical, he had displayed a much more ruthless side of himself. Yet despite that he was graciously giving up a position that he could’ve easily gotten.

“Oh, do you want to join us for lunch?”

“Really?!” she said a bit too excitedly. “I mean I would like to take you up on your kind offer”

Both Midoriya and his friend sweatdropped at her attempt to backtrack.

“Well we better start going if we want to get some good seats” Midoriya said to the agreement of her and his friend.

* * *

“That is a lot of food. You sure you have enough?”

“It’s fine. I need to eat a lot so that I have enough lipids for my Quirk.”

“And what exactly is your Quirk?” the blonde boy who she had learned was Monoma asked her with a suspicious look on his face.

“Creation. I can create anything I want so long as I know the molecular structure of it. Unfortunately I am limited by the amount of lipids in my body to draw from”.

Monoma took on a rare fascinated smile towards her as he pulled out a notebook. “Fascinating. Midoriya, why didn’t you tell me you had such an interesting specimen in your class”.

“Well I didn’t really know too much about her Quirk so I was waiting for more information”.

“I see. Tell me Yaoyorozu, what is the ratio for your lipid conversion. How big of an item can you create?”

“Uh, well I’m not exactly too sure about that. I’ve never really bothered with the technical part of my Quirk apart from memorizing the molecular structure of objects. I even have my trusty Yaoyopedia to help me with that. As for how big of an object I can create; cannons are currently my limit”.

“Yaoyorozu, how many times can you use your Quirk before you pass out from EFA deficiency?”

“Ah well it would depend on the size of the objects” Why did she think she had been lead into a trap? 

As the two Quirk enthusiasts continued asking her more and more questions, she failed to notice Kaminari walking up their table.

“So have you decided who’s gonna be class rep?” Kaminari said as Yaoyorozu jolted in surprise.

“We have. We agreed that it was best for the class if I was the one to take the position” Yaoyorozu said sweetly.

“Oh c’mon man! I voted for you. Now I owe Kirishima, let’s say a substantial amount of money”.

“Yeah, come on Midoriya! I trusted you” an invisible voice called across the table. How had Yaoyorozu missed Hagakure? Floating clothes weren’t exactly a common occurrence even in this world of superpowers.

“You were betting on us?!” Yaoyorozu blushed.

“More importantly you voted for me Kaminari? Why?”

“Ah well, you seemed to really know what you were doing during the training exercise. You knew exactly what to do to win and while I think you went a bit overboard with the bomb, you’re not going to do that again, right?” Kaminari said earnestly though there was a bit of apprehension to his voice.

“I won’t and while I appreciate the sentiment but manipulating others for victory isn’t the same as managing a class. Yaoyorozu beats me in that regard”.

“Thank you Midoriya”

However, the moment was cut short by the alarms going off.

SECURITY LEVEL THREE HAS BEEN BROKEN! ALL STUDENTS PLEASE EVACUATE IN A CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION

Well naturally, all hell broke loose and the entire cafeteria went into an uproar.

“What’s security level 3?!” Hagakure asked.

“If I’m right, it means that someone has broken into the building. In that case, it’s best to follow the school’s instructions” Yaoyorozu stated firmly. 

“You don’t think it might have to do with the reporters, earlier today do you?” Midoriya asked.

Now that she thought about it, there were a lot of reporters earlier today. What are the chances that one of them had a Quirk that was perfect for getting past the school’s defenses. She looked out the window and low and behold Midoriya’s assumption was correct. 

“Can you make something that can get their attention? Like a flashbang or a megaphone” Midoriya asked.

While Yaoyorozu refused to resort to stun grenades and the like, she could make a megaphone. Looking through the Yaoyopedia, she finally found what she was looking for and seconds later a large white megaphone appeared out of her in a flash of colour. 

“EVERYONE CALM DOWN!” 

Unfortunately the students were too busy panicking. She needed to get some place higher. 

“Hold on” Midoriya told her as he ran off. Within a minute he had brought back a girl with vines for hair? 

“Shiozaki can you get Yaoyorozu higher up so that she can quell the panic”.

“If the Lord wishes, yes I can” the green haired girl said before springing her vines towards Yaoyorozu, wrapping themselves around her limbs for support before hoisting her up. 

Yaoyorozu took this as her chance. Bringing the megaphone to her face, she yelled at the students below her. 

“EVERYONE CALM DOWN! THE MEDIA HAS JUST BROKEN THROUGH THE SCHOOL’S DEFENSES. THERE IS NOTHING TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT!”

And just like that the panic that ran throughout the masses was quelled. 

Shiozaki lowered her down. 

“Huh, not bad. Looks like you do have what it takes” Monoma said.

“Thank you!” Yaoyorozu said with a gleaming smile. However, something was amiss.

“Where’s Midoriya?”

“He realized that it was almost time for his meeting with the principal so he left as you were calming everyone down” Monoma explained.

“Meeting with the principal? Oh” And just like that Yaoyorozu remembered just why she was uncertain about the prospect of him representing the class. However, he proved quite useful in leading the group so perhaps a little disciplinary action is required to... work out the kinks as it were.

* * *

A few minutes earlier

Shigaraki wasn’t quite sure why he was doing this; he already had a couple spies for information retrieval. Being here just increased the chances of being caught. Still Sensei told him to do this so it must be part of his big plan. 

Still did there really have to be so many people? He counted 25 reporters here demanding a quote. All because the Symbol of Peace himself had now decided to become a teacher. It was pathetic. He didn’t know what was so great about the guy and he injured Sensei!

Tomura would never forget how much Sensei had done for him. He’d taken him in when no one else would. He’d given him a Quirk and he had opened his eyes to the frauds that these so-called “heroes” really were. 

What had All Might done? Nothing. He just continued to perpetuate the flawed nature of this society. He didn’t do anything to actually change it for the better. He just put “villains” behind bars and called it a day. Sensei wanted to well and truly change the world and he’d been crippled for his aspirations. All Might? He did nothing to truly help and basked in the fame and glory like the fraud he was.

Still if these NPCs wanted to see All Might, Tomura would be glad to help them along. After all, Sensei did preach the importance of being kind so this will be his good deed for the day. With minimal difficulty Tomura weaved through the sea of reporters at the gate. They were so focused on getting a statement, they barely noticed him.

Once he got to the front, Tomura calmly removed the fingerless glove on his left hand. While trying to keep a natural facade he moved his hand forward and just barely grazed the gate with all five fingers as he moved away from the crowd. Within 90 seconds the gate had completely turned to ash. 

Those simple NPCs didn’t even care about what happened, too focused on their mission to infiltrate U.A. It was almost too easy. Of course just like the games he plays, he’d fallen into the age-old trap of tempting fate. A green streak of lightning appeared in front of him.

“Where do you think you’re going? That gate cost quite a bit of money or so I’m told” a deep voice said.

Tomura turned around and found himself face to face with a large zombie with two big green electrical conduits sticking out of his back. Bolts covered the man and it was pretty obvious that the body was composed of several masses of skin stitched together. On his chest there was a circular hourglass symbol sticking out. The sounds of the reporters and staff could be heard in the background but Tomura was too focused on the monstrosity before him.

“Right. Sensei did say something about a vigilante working for the heroes. Don’t you think it’s weird how you only want to help people yet you’re considered an outcast by society? It’s probably because you’ve shown how incompetent these frauds really are”.

“Perhaps but I’m still gonna kick your butt” the zombie spoke with a grin. Green lightning coursed in between the two conduits before firing out at him. Like a whip, the lightning struck him and Tomura could only shriek in pain. He wasn’t sure how long the attack lasted but as soon as it ended, he fell to the ground. His hoodie was singed from the attack, what a shame. As Tomura was recalling his thoughts, the zombie made his way over to the villain. 

“Oh c’mon it wasn’t that powerful. Most of my enemies can usually withstand another blast”

“I... see. You’re... just like... those other frauds” Tomura said as he tried to regain his breath. “You try to... say you’re fighting for justice... but in the end you only know how to fight. Violence only breeds more violence... and you have no idea how to actually... solve the problem”.

“I feel defeating villains is a pretty good method” the zombie’s uncanny smile dropped and stomped over to him.

Tomura started cackling “You have no idea what it truly means to be a hero, do you?! Say what you will about those idiots” he pointed to Eraserhead and Present Mic who were trying to calm the reporters down “but at least they stand by their ideals. You can’t even be bothered to get a Hero’s license. You break the law just like I do and yet I’m the villain”.

The zombie growled, having finally gotten to Tomura and threw a punch. However, Tomura had recovered from the electricity and evaded the hit which went into the ground. 

“That road cost quite a bit of money... or so I’m told” Tomura said with a grin. The zombie grimaced. It was but a moment of hesitation but a moment was all he needed. Tomura quickly grabbed onto the zombie’s limb and just like that it was game over. Decay activated and the zombie could only scream in pain as his body disintegrated. 

It was a pity. Tomura had hoped the vigilante would be some kind of bonus boss that would help him prepare for All Might. Alas he turned out to be a simple NPC. Tomura didn’t even feel like watching the rest of the body disintegrate and turned around to go back home.

Suddenly he heard a sound and out of the corner of his eye was a bright green light. Tomura’s curiosity got the better of him and he turned back to greet the vigilante, only he wasn’t a zombie anymore but a slim, green slime monster with some kinda thing floating above his head. 

“GOOP!” 

“Th- that’s not possible!” Tomura yelled out. He had hit the vigilante with Decay. His one-hit kill had somehow failed and the vigilante seemed to be no worse for wear with how quickly he was flying about. 

He reached his hand out to attack Goop but the vigilante merely manipulated his body so that Tomura was only touching air, while the gelatinous substance ensnared his arm. 

“Not this time!”

“I killed you! How can you be this strong?!” Tomura yelled out as he thrashed about within the green substance. Said substance started wrapping itself around his body while keeping his hands free.

Soon enough Goop had wrapped him up in some bubble and bounced him around. Tomura started to feel sick in his stomach but he was merely along for the ride. Thankfully Goop eventually stopped and unraveled himself from the villain.

Tomura got a good look around and saw he was now in an office of some kind. In front of him was a large mouse-bear-dog thing. He didn’t know what it was, only that it was the principal of this sham of a high school. 

“Very good, Tennyson! I knew you made the right decision to apply for this job”

“You blackmailed me”

“Tomato, tomahto. All that matters now is retrieving information from this young man” and just like that the principal’s cheery expression became much more stern. 

“Who are you and why did you attack my school? The authorities will be here soon enough and if you cooperate we could put in a good word for you destroying 48,000,000 yen worth of security”.

“You’re insane if you think I’m gonna help you. You call yourself a hero yet you hired a vigilante. Besides All Might, you are perhaps one of the most morally broken heroes in the business”.

The principal raised an eyebrow and looked to his pet vigilante who merely said “He has this thing with trying to break people by talking to them. Of course all it really does is make people aware of how annoying his voice sounds”.

“My voice is not annoying!”

“Sure, keep telling yourself that”.

“Well in any event, it doesn’t seem like we will be getting any information out of this young man. Tennyson, perhaps it’s time to use Pesky Dust before the authorities take him away.

“Right” the vigilante said and started looking at his watch though Tomura wasn’t paying attention. How dare these two just treat him as if he was some common nuisance! He had come this close to killing one of them and yet they didn’t seem to be wary of him. They hadn’t even binded him.

Still he wasn’t an idiot. Tennyson had some way of resisting Decay and even if he managed to kill the principal, the police were already on their way. He hates to admit but he’ll have to leave these two alone for now. Tomura fiddled through his pockets for the device Sensei gave him. 

He heard a door open and Tennyson yelled out “Got it!” but it was too late. Clasping the device in his hand, he pressed the button and instantly became enveloped in dark liquid.

“SEE YA LATER, FRAUDS!” 

Tomura savoured the looks of disbelief on their faces as he vanished before their very eyes though he failed to notice a green-haired student staring in shock at him. Tennyson had changed form but it was too late as the final traces of Tomura Shigaraki warped back to Sensei.

The office was silent for a moment after he left though that was broken by the resident vigilante.

“Walkatrout! Really Omnitrix?!”

* * *

After the villain had teleported away, Nezu noticed Midoriya at the door. 

“Ah, young Midoriya it’s good to see you didn’t just abandon our meeting. And what good timing too. My last visitor just left” the principal smiled as if a villain hadn’t just escaped his grasp. 

“Wh-who was that?”

“Some nobody who decided it would be a good idea to destroy the school’s security gate”.

“Yes, well putting that aside... Midoriya you are aware for the reason why you and I are having this meeting, aren’t you?” Nezu asked in a serious tone.

Midoriya stiffened in his seat “Yes sir. I am here because I got too caught up in the role of villain and ended up causing serious harm to one of my classmates. I promise I won’t do it again!”

“Hm. You seem earnest so I’ll only give you a week’s detention”

“Thank you sir!” Midoriya was about to get up and leave when Nezu said “Now, onto the true reason why you’re here”

“Huh?”

“Oh, Midoriya. If the only reason you were here was to give you a little disciplinary action, this meeting wouldn’t be happening. I’d have just left Eraserhead to deal with it”.

“Then why am I here? I already said that I’ll stop thinking like a villain” Midoriya said, his body shaking with dread as to what else Nezu wanted from him.

“Oh please don’t. It’s a very useful skill to have in this society. However, you seem both misguided and underdeveloped. Hopefully I can help guide you”.

“What?” Midoriya sat up straight.

“Let’s review your performance in the exercise, shall we?” Nezu pressed a button with his paw causing a screen to appear with the training exercise.

“You did a good job realising the danger Bakugou posed to your teammate and successfully manipulated him into going outside, even if your intent was not to turn him against his partner”.

The screen proceeded to show what happened in the exercise before Nezu paused it “This was your first major mistake”

“Hm?”

“You left your enemies to their own devices. What if it was all an act to get you to lower your guard? Or what if Bakugou defeated Iida right after you and Kaminari left? In either case you and Kaminari would have left the bomb completely undefended and made it much easier for the heroes to retrieve the bomb”.

“I see”. Honestly it was a bit weird having the principal of a Hero school teach him how to be a better villain.

“Wait, but I made sure that in that event I had a failsafe”.

“Yes and while I do commend you for thinking outside of the rules, you treated it too much like an exercise. In the event that you did detonate it, you would’ve killed millions of people as well as you and your partner and then you would’ve gone down in history as one of the worst terrorists in the world. But that’s neither here nor there, your manipulation skills only worked because you took advantage of Bakugou’s unstable mentality. Against anything else and it would’ve failed” Nezu stated matter-of-factly. 

“OK, so how do you plan on helping me develop this skill?”

“By rearranging the way you think Midoriya. Tell me, what do you think of this society of heroes and villains...”

The rest of the session involved him and the principal trading forth ideologies of society and even looking at the Hero Killer’s influence on society. However soon enough he needed to get back to class. 

“Now that our class villain is back, we can decide who the class president will be”.

“The villain thing’s going to stick, isn’t it” Midoriya said with a forlorn look. 

Yaoyorozu shared a sympathetic look at him before saying “Yes. Midoriya and I decided it would be for the best if I took the position of class president, while he assists me as vice-president. With that out of the way, we should choose the other members of the student council”. Midoriya tried to ignore the collective sigh of relief that the class gave when it was announced that he wouldn’t be class president.

However, as they were discussing class business, they failed to notice the glare of a certain student with engines in his legs.

* * *

“Well?”

“I wasn’t able to find All Might’s schedule, sorry.” Hagakure said.

“But I was!” Midoriya quickly said to the gaseous villain.

“Oh?” Kurogiri said with interest.

“I mean, not exactly but there’s meant to be a field trip to some place called the USJ. He’s meant to make an appearance around 11 in the morning”. 

“I expect that you will use your transceiver to communicate to me when this “trip” happens” Kurogiri said before teleporting out of the room.

“Are you sure that was the safest thing to do?” Hagakure asked.

“No, but we have no other choice” Midoriya said grimly. He could only hope that All Might would be able to beat whatever plan Kurogiri had in store for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I _really_ didn't want to use Calm Before The Storm, primarily because there are likely going to be better opportunities to use it but it was the only idea I could come up with. 
> 
> Despite the word count, not much actually happens. The only thing I actually have an opinion on is the starting scene where Hagakure calls Midoriya out and that's mainly due to her having a similar issue to Midoriya when he went up against Todoroki. Half-assing your efforts is disrespectful to those around you. Only except for competition, her issue is mainly in the wider scheme of things. I'd say she has kind of a point considering she has the perspective of someone who was unlucky enough to know the limits of what heroes can and cannot do. Even if that Pro had still been injured, there possibly would've been an open spot for him if the Heroes had done more to save civilians in her area. 
> 
> Besides that, Midoriya and Hagakure continue being traitory traitors, Class 1-A votes for class president and because of causality Yaoyorozu ends up with the position, Ben meets Shiggy and that's about it. Like I said in the last chapter, this one was all about setting things up. Besides the obvious USJ attack, we've got Yaoyorozu befriending Midoriya and Monoma, Iida's growing resentment and Hisashi's other plan to help him minimise the damage when things inevitably go south on this one. Also Hisashi gaining more suspicion because well, let's be honest, he's just a genuinely suspicious dude. All of these events are going to be important in the future though time will tell, if I'm being genuine or if I'm just meaning as important as the fern in The Stanley Parable. 
> 
> As always comments and criticism are appreciated.


End file.
